Cash controversy rocks judiciary, Yashwant Verma steps down after shocking recovery
Allegations of illicit cash and recovery of burnt notes triggered resignation, raising serious concerns over judicial integrity.
New Delhi (The Uttam Hindu): Justice Yashwant Verma has sent shockwaves through judicial and political circles by abruptly resigning from his post amid a serious cash scandal. He submitted his resignation directly to the President while impeachment proceedings and multiple investigations were underway. An internal probe into the allegations against him is also in progress.
The controversy began after a large quantity of burnt currency notes was reportedly recovered from his Delhi residence triggering widespread outrage. Following the incident, he was transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, where he had taken oath on April 5, 2025. However, the scandal continued to intensify, overshadowing his judicial career.
Considering the gravity of the case, Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate the charges. The matter also reached the Supreme Court, where a petition filed by Justice Verma challenging the probe was dismissed by a bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Satish Chandra Sharma. The issue sparked uproar in Parliament, with impeachment motions introduced and a high-level panel formed, including Justice Arvind Kumar, Justice M. M. Shrivastava and senior advocate B. V. Acharya, to examine the allegations in detail.