Lawyers' group CJAR seeks FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma over unaccounted cash

CJAR said the charges against Justice Varma go beyond “misconduct” under the Judges Inquiry Act and could also form the basis for criminal proceedings.

Updated on: Aug 20, 2026, 19:26:25 IST

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The Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform (CJAR) has called for an FIR against former Allahabad high court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, saying the charges established against him could form the basis for criminal proceedings.

The CJAR is an Indian advocacy group of lawyers, activists, and citizens which works towards making the judiciary more transparent and responsible.

CJAR has urged the Chief Justice of India to direct the Delhi Police to register an FIR and investigate the unaccounted cash found at Justice Varma’s official residence, according to a report by Livelaw. It also called for the investigation to be overseen by the Supreme Court to help restore public confidence in the judiciary.

CJAR requests CJI to direct filing of FIR against Justice Varma

The organisation said the charges proved against Justice Varma were not merely “misconduct” under the Judges Inquiry Act for the purpose of removal, but could also provide grounds for criminal proceedings.

“After his resignation, Justice Varma ceases to enjoy the protection of the Veeraswami judgement, and therefore, there is no requirement of permission of the Chief Justice of India for resignation of an FIR against him. However, since the investigative authorities have not registered any FIR yet, in light of the Inquiry Committee's report and the report of the three-judge committee constituted under the in-house procedure, we call upon the Chief Justice of India to direct the filing of a First Information Report with the Delhi Police seeking an investigation into the unaccounted cash found at the residence of Justice (Retd.) Varma,” said a CJAR statement, according to Livelaw.

CJAR’s demand comes after a three-member inquiry committee probing allegations against Justice Varma found all three articles of charge against him proved. The committee described his explanation regarding the discovery of a large quantity of unaccounted currency at his official residence as “evasive” and “misleading”.

CJAR has also supported the decision to table the committee’s report despite Justice Varma’s resignation in April 2026.

In a statement, CJAR said, “We believe that this move promotes transparency and ensures a measure of accountability for the actions of Justice (Retd.) Varma. We are happy to note the speaker undoing the unfortunate precedent set in the case of Justice PD Dinakaran wherein impeachment proceedings were brought to an end merely because the judge concerned resigned.”

CJAR also questioned why the Allahabad high court website continues to show Justice Varma as a sitting judge despite his resignation.

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