Lagatar24 Desk
New Delhi: Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma has firmly denied allegations that a large quantity of burnt cash was discovered at his official residence following a recent fire incident, calling the claims “baseless” and “preposterous.”
In a detailed letter addressed to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, Justice Varma clarified that neither he nor any of his family members had ever stored any cash in the storeroom near the staff quarters. “I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members and strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us,” the letter read.
He questioned the very plausibility of the allegations, adding, “The suggestion that one would store cash in an open, freely accessible and commonly used storeroom near the staff quarters or in an outhouse verges on the incredible and incredulous.”
Justice Varma expressed concern over the damage to his integrity, stating, “In the life of a judge, nothing matters more than reputation and character. That has been severely tarnished and irreparably damaged.” He categorically denied having handled or removed any currency from the site, asserting that there was no evidence of cash recovery when fire and police personnel concluded their operations.
He emphasized that all his financial dealings were conducted transparently through banking channels, UPI, and cards. “When the site was handed back to us after the fire personnel and police concluded their operations, we saw no evidence of any currency,” he added.
In response to the controversy, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has constituted a three-member inquiry committee to probe the allegations. The panel comprises Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court.
CJI Khanna has also directed that Justice Varma be relieved of judicial responsibilities until the inquiry is completed.
