New Delhi: The Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform (CJAR) has called for the registration of a First Information Report (FIR) against former Allahabad high court judge Yashwant Varma, from whose official residence a huge amount of cash was discovered after a fire in March 2025.Earlier, the report of an inquiry committee constituted to inquire into the conduct of Verma had found that the judge, who already resigned in April this year, had failed to explain the discovery of the currency notes on his residential premises. The CJAR has welcomed the tabling of the report.“CJAR notes that the Inquiry Committee has found all three Articles of Charge against the Judge to be proved on the basis of the material placed before it. CJAR also supports the decision of the Speaker of the Lok Sabha to table the report on the floor of the House, notwithstanding the purported resignation of Justice (Retd.) Varma. We believe that this move promotes transparency and ensures a measure of accountability for the actions of Justice (Retd.) Varma,” said CJAR in a statement on Thursday (August 20).“We are happy to note the speaker undoing the unfortunate precedent set in the case of Justice P. D. Dinakaran wherein impeachment proceedings were brought to an end merely because the judge concerned resigned,” it added.The CJAR statement on Thursday said that it had earlier issued a statement welcoming the decision taken by then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjeev Khanna, to place in the public domain important information on the allegations regarding discovery of cash at Justice Varma’s residence as that disclosure quelled rumour mongering.CJAR said that even though Justice Varma has resigned, it is surprised that the Allahabad high court website continues to show him as a sitting judge. CJAR called upon the high court to change this detail and avoid confusion.“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,” said CJAR in its statement.‘It is now incumbent upon the police to question the source of the cash’“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,” it added.CJAR said that it believes only a full and proper police investigation into the actions of Justice Varma, overseen by the Supreme Court, will adequately restore the public’s confidence in the judiciary.“We believe that the three charges proved against Justice Varma, are not just “misconduct” for the purposes of removal of the judge, but also basis to begin criminal proceedings. It is now incumbent upon the police to question the source of the cash, establish who disposed it of and how, and if other crimes were conducted in this process,” said CJAR.The Wire had earlier reported that the committee’s report notes that “it is not possible to determine the exact amount of currency found inside the storeroom” in the judge’s residence, since these notes were not seized, nor was an inventory prepared, nor panchnama drawn up. However, it says that the evidence “is not of a few stray notes or isolated remnants. It is of bundles, heaps and stacks of Rs 500 denomination of Indian currency notes seen in burnt, half-burnt, wet and scattered condition within the storeroom”.The report records the failure of Varma to disclose or explain the lawful source or ownership of the currency notes. In his reply dated March 22, 2025, the judge said he was unaware of any cash lying in the outhouse storeroom in his residence. He also said other members of his family had no knowledge of the cash. As a result, the question of explaining the source did not arise, he had said.