New Delhi: In a landmark decision that could mark the end of a controversial chapter in the Indian judiciary, the Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed Justice Yashwant Verma’s petition challenging the inquiry into a massive cash haul found at his official residence earlier this year. The verdict affirms the legality of the in-house investigation and backs the Chief Justice’s recommendation for Verma’s removal — clearing the path for potential impeachment.
The saga began with a fire — or so it seemed. On a quiet night in March 2025, flames erupted from the storeroom of Justice Verma’s government-allotted home in Delhi. Firefighters doused the blaze, but what emerged from the ashes made national headlines: bundles of charred currency. Silent. Damning.
What followed was swift and serious. A three-judge in-house inquiry committee was constituted, led by Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. Though no direct evidence was found linking Justice Verma to the money, the report held him guilty of exercising “secret or active control” over the stash. Enough, the Supreme Court said, to warrant action.
The bench, comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Masih, saw no merit in Verma’s challenge to the inquiry or to the recommendation for his removal. “The process was not only constitutional but transparent,” the bench noted, adding that Verma’s conduct “did not inspire confidence.”
Notably, the Court questioned why Verma — represented by senior advocate Kapil Sibal — participated in the inquiry process if he believed it was flawed from the start. “You chose to engage with the process. You can’t now cry foul because the outcome isn’t in your favour,” the judges observed sharply.
This isn’t the first time Verma has tried to push back. In March, a petition to file an FIR against him was thrown out by the Supreme Court, which pointed to the ongoing in-house inquiry. The rejection of this latest plea, however, has broader implications. It reinforces the judiciary’s power to scrutinize its own — and places the next step squarely in Parliament’s hands.
With the Chief Justice’s recommendation now validated, the matter may soon be introduced in the Lok Sabha as an impeachment motion — a rare and politically sensitive procedure in India’s constitutional framework.
