SC refuses to make findings on Justice Yashwant Varma public
What's the story
The Supreme Court has rejected an RTI application seeking a copy of the in-house inquiry committee report into allegations of cash discovery at Justice Yashwant Varma's residence. The application was filed by Amritpal Singh Khalsa on May 9 and was rejected by the court's Central Public Information Officer (CPIO). Khalsa's request for a copy of the communication sent by former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to the president and prime minister recommending Justice Varma's removal was also rejected.
Committee formation
Inquiry committee formed after cash discovery at Justice Varma's residence
The rejection was based on legal exemptions under Sections 8(1)(e) and 11(1) of the RTI Act, which protect fiduciary information and third-party disclosures. The in-house inquiry was launched after a large cache of cash was found at Justice Varma's official residence during a firefighting operation. At the time, he was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court. In response to this incident, then Chief Justice of India Khanna formed a three-member committee on March 22.
Report forwarding
CJI forwards committee's report to President and PM
On May 8, the CJI forwarded the committee's report to the president and prime minister for further action. Meanwhile, Justice Varma was transferred to his parent Allahabad High Court and his judicial work was withdrawn as per the CJI's directive. Although preliminary reports and visual documentation from Delhi Police were made public on the Supreme Court website, the final inquiry report remains confidential.