On Sunday, March 23, 2025, Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal spoke about the controversy involving Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, under investigation following the alleged discovery of cash at his residence. He explained that the issue now lies with the Supreme Court, which has formed a three-member committee to investigate the matter.

 “This case is with the Supreme Court. It has formed a three-member committee including two High Court Chief Justices and one High Court Judge. Let the committee report come. Then we will talk about this...,” Mr Arjun Ram Meghwal disclosed to ANI in Imphal.

Sanitation workers reported discovering burnt fragments of currency notes near the official residence of Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma, who is under investigation for allegedly having cash recovered from his home. “We work in this circle. We collect garbage from the roads. We were cleaning here 4-5 days back and collecting garbage when we found some small pieces of burnt ₹500 note. We found it that day. Now, we have found 1-2 pieces...We do not know where a fire broke out,”  a sanitation worker named Inderjeet said to ANI.

On Saturday, March 22, 2025, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member committee to investigate the allegations. The committee includes Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, and Karnataka High Court Judge Justice Anu Sivaraman. Meanwhile, according to an official press release, the Supreme Court has released an inquiry report prepared by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay regarding the controversy involving Justice Yashwant Varma. In his report, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice stated that, at first glance, the case requires a more thorough investigation. The Supreme Court also made public Justice Yashwant Varma’s response, denying the allegations and claiming that the situation seemed to be a deliberate conspiracy to frame and defame him.

Justice Yashwant Varma denied that he or any of his family members had ever stored cash in the storeroom, firmly rejecting any claims that the money belonged to them. He clarified that the fire broke out in an outhouse, not the primary residence where he and his family live.

Following the directive of the Chief Justice of India, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay instructed Justice Varma to preserve all communication on his phone, including messages, conversations, and other data, as the controversy surrounding him continued. In a statement to Chief Justice Upadhyay, Justice Varma refuted the allegations linking him to the cash recovery.

Media reports suggest that a fire at his residence unintentionally led to the discovery of cash by firefighters. The fire broke out on March 14, and the judge was not at home when the incident occurred.

Recently, Mr Meghwal attended a National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) event in Imphal, Manipur, where five Supreme Court judges were also present. During the program, he spoke about the government’s efforts to accelerate peace restoration in Manipur, which has also been debated in Parliament. He further stated that the Home Minister has assured a detailed discussion in Parliament regarding Manipur’s future once the President’s Rule ends.  “Five Supreme Court judges attended the NALSA programme in Manipur. I was there, too. We spoke at the event about how we are going to fast-track peace restoration (in Manipur). We discussed Manipur in the Parliament too... The Home Minister said that the proposal for Manipur after the President’s Rule will be discussed in detail in the Parliament...,” he stated.