SC Denies RTI Plea for Justice Yashwant Varma Inquiry Report, Cites Privacy and Judicial Independence

The Supreme Court has denied an RTI request seeking access to the in-house inquiry report on Justice Yashwant Varma, along with the Chief Justice’s letter to the President and Prime Minister.

Citing its 2019 ruling in Subhash Chandra Agarwal, the Court invoked privacy, fiduciary duty, and judicial independence as grounds for denial under Sections 8(1)(e) and 11(1) of the RTI Act.

The inquiry followed the discovery of unaccounted cash at Justice Varma’s residence. While preliminary materials were published online, the final report remains confidential.

Justice Varma has since been transferred to the Allahabad High Court and relieved of judicial duties.