A three-member panel of senior judges is set to commence its inquiry into allegations of a substantial amount of cash being discovered at the residence of Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma. According to sources, the investigation is expected to begin within the next two to three days.

The probe follows reports of unaccounted cash allegedly found at Justice Varma’s home after a fire incident earlier this month. Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has formally instructed the committee members to conduct the inquiry at the earliest.

The panel comprises Chief Justice Shreeil Nagoo of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. The committee has been granted the authority to determine its own procedures and guidelines for the investigation.

On March 24, the Delhi High Court withdrew judicial duties from Justice Yashwant Varma with immediate effect. Following this, the Supreme Court collegium decided to transfer him to his parent Allahabad High Court. However, sources indicate that he will not be assigned any judicial work in Allahabad either. Further action will be taken once the inquiry committee submits its findings to the Chief Justice of India.

While the transfer of a High Court judge falls under the collegium’s purview, disciplinary inquiries into judicial conduct remain under the jurisdiction of the Chief Justice of India. In such cases, the CJI seeks a report from the Chief Justice of the respective High Court. The collegium’s procedures do not extend to these investigations.

The controversy arose after a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s Lutyens Delhi residence at approximately 11:35 p.m. on March 14, prompting emergency response teams to the location. Reports later surfaced regarding the alleged discovery of large amounts of cash at the site.

On March 22, the Supreme Court publicly released an in-house inquiry report on its official website, including photos and videos, detailing the alleged cash recovery at Justice Varma’s residence. The findings of the three-member committee will determine the next course of action in the case.