New Delhi: Saying that the storeroom where the fire broke out was separate from the main residence, left unlocked, and accessible to all, Justice Yashwant Varma, in his six-page clarification to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya, asserted that his staff present at the scene on the night of the incident saw “no cash or currency at the site”.
He criticised the media for inaccurate reporting and expressed disappointment that they had not conducted a proper enquiry before implicating or defaming him.
“I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom by me or any of my family members, and I strongly denounce the insinuation that the alleged cash belonged to us,” reads his response, which forms part of one of the official documents related to the incident that was uploaded Saturday night on the Supreme Court portal.
Justice Varma will face an enquiry by a three-member panel that was set up Saturday, after Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna considered Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyay’s preliminary report on the allegations of burnt cash found at the judge’s residence. Justice Varma’s response was also noted before CJI Khanna constituted the panel.
Should the committee find merit in the allegations, CJI Khanna could request Justice Varma’s resignation. If the judge refuses to step down, CJI Khanna would be left with no option but to forward the probe panel’s findings to Parliament for Justice Varma’s impeachment.
Justice Varma’s response also references the half-page report prepared by Chief Justice Upadhyaya’s secretary, who visited the site on the night of 15 March at the Chief Justice’s direction. Justice Varma pointed out that even during this inspection, the officer did not find any cash in any state at the scene.
Following that inspection, and on Chief Justice Upadhyay’s instructions, the gutted storeroom has remained untouched, according to the response. As for the debris, which was deemed unsalvageable, he stated that it was removed but continues to be stored in the house. He “categorically rejected any insinuation, if made, that we removed currency from the storeroom”.
“I would urge you to also consider that no currency was recovered from the premises that we actually occupy and use as a family,” he added, clarifying that the room where the fire broke out, and where cash was allegedly discovered was separate from the family’s living quarters.
Addressing the video and photographs of the burnt cash, Justice Varma said that he saw them for the first time when he met Chief Justice Upadhyaya upon returning from Lucknow on 17 March. He recalled that on the same day, he had voiced his suspicion of a conspiracy behind the incident.
The letter further details a sequence of events from December last year when, he claimed, “unfounded allegations” regarding his involvement in a cheating case were circulated on social media.
He reiterated that the cash did not belong to him or his family members, asserting that all their financial transactions were properly documented and conducted exclusively through regular banking channels, including UPI applications and card payments.
“With regard to the allegation of cash recovery, I once again clarify that no one from my household ever reported seeing any burnt currency in the room,” he asserted, referring to media reports quoting the Delhi Fire Service Chief, who denied that his personnel had recovered or seized any cash from the site.
He also pleaded that none of his staff had been shown any remnants of cash or currency that may have been present at the scene. “Assuming, without admitting, that the video was recorded at the time of the incident at the site, none of it appears to have been officially recovered or seized,” his response stated.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)
What a lame excuse Come up with better excuse
Is someone intentionally leaving this behind? We need to investigate further to understand the situation.
It seems that alien had left the cash in the house