New Delhi: A three-judge inquiry panel headed by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu has found that Justice Yashwant Verma and his family members had “secret or active control” over the storeroom where a large quantity of half-burnt currency notes was recovered.
The panel’s findings have led to a recommendation for the judge’s removal from office.
The inquiry committee, which included Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia and Karnataka High Court Justice Anu Sivaraman, examined the matter over 10 days, recorded statements of 55 witnesses, and inspected the site of the incident—Justice Verma’s official residence at 30 Tughlaq Crescent, New Delhi—where the notes were recovered late at night on March 14.
“The cash/money was found in the store room of 30 Tughlaq Crescent, New Delhi, in the official possession of Justice Verma,” the panel noted in its 64-page report.
It further said that “access to the store room has been found to be under the secret or active control of Justice Verma and his family members,” and that strong presumptive evidence established that the burnt currency was removed from the premises in the early hours of March 15, 2025.
The report said the conduct of Justice Verma, as established through direct and electronic evidence, was serious enough to warrant the initiation of impeachment proceedings. It concluded that there was sufficient substance in the allegations raised by the Chief Justice of India in his letter dated March 22.
Acting on the report, former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has written to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recommending the impeachment of Justice Verma.
The panel conducted the inquiry in accordance with the in-house procedure laid down for judicial accountability.
