A three-judge panel appointed by the Supreme Court has submitted its inquiry report to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna regarding the alleged discovery of cash at the Lutyens’ Delhi residence of Justice Yashwant Varma.

The report, finalised on May 3, was handed over to the CJI on May 4 for consideration and any further action.

The panel comprises Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court.

The inquiry stems from a fire that broke out around 11:35 pm on March 14 at Justice Varma’s Delhi residence. During the fire-fighting efforts, authorities allegedly discovered a large quantity of cash, which was subsequently reported in the media. The controversy prompted swift action from the judiciary.

Initially, a preliminary inquiry was conducted by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya. Following that, Justice Varma was relieved of his judicial responsibilities by the Delhi High Court.

On March 24, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended his repatriation to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court. The government later notified the transfer, and on March 28, the apex court directed that Justice Varma not be assigned any judicial work for the time being.

In response to the growing concerns, CJI Sanjiv Khanna constituted the three-judge panel on March 22 to carry out an internal inquiry. Additionally, the inquiry report of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya—which reportedly includes photographs and videos related to the alleged cash stash—was uploaded to the Supreme Court’s official website.

Justice Varma, for his part, has denied the allegations, stating that neither he nor any of his family members ever stored any cash in the house.