'Cash in storeroom not mine,' claims Justice Varma as SC shares probe details

In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court late on Saturday (March 22) night uploaded on its website an in-house inquiry report, including photos and videos, into the alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma.

As recommended in the 25-page report, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna constituted an in-house committee to conduct an inquiry and asked Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma. The report contains photos and videos of the cash allegedly discovered at a storeroom at Justice Varma's house during a firefighting operation on the night of Holi, March 14. It also contains his response.

Complete denial

Justice Varma has "unequivocally" stated that no cash was ever placed in the storeroom "either by me or any of my family members and (I) strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us". The allegations of cash discovery at his residence clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign him, he claimed.

He filed his reply after the Delhi High Court Chief Justice sought his response pursuant to an in-house probe initiated by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna. He also said that the media should have conducted some enquiry before making allegations and defaming him.

The inquiry report submitted by Justice Upadhyaya contained material with regard to official communication which says four to five semi-burnt stacks of Indian currency were found.

Justice Upadhyaya's report

"On examining the incident reported, the material available and the response of Justice Yashwant Varma, what I find is that the Commissioner of Police in his report dated Marg 16, 2025 has reported that as per the guard posted at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, the debris and other partially burnt articles were removed from the room where the fire had broken out in the morning of March 15, 2025.

"The enquiry conducted by me, prima facie, does not reveal possibility of entry or access to the room by any person other than those residing in the bungalow, the servants, the gardeners and CPWD personnel, if any Accordingly, I am of the prima facie opinion that the entire matter warrants a deeper probe," Justice Upadhyaya said in his report dated March 21, and made public Saturday night.

Full transparency

CJI Khanna mooted full transparency in the case. "The Chief Justice of India has constituted a three-member committee consisting of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana; Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh; and Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge of the High Court of Delhi," read a Supreme Court press release on Saturday.

Justice Varma's first response to queries sent by the Delhi HC CJ in the case, at the insistence of CJI Khanna, was released by the Supreme Court on its official website after redacting some information. Video purported to be of the recovery of burnt cash was also uploaded on the SC website.

Also read | 'Mystery fire case': CBI filed FIR against Yashwant Varma way back in 2018

A three-member committee of judges has been set up to inquire into the matter.

Strong denial

Justice Varma said he was not aware of any money or cash lying in the outhouse storeroom.

"Neither I nor any of my family members had any knowledge of cash nor does it have any bearing or relation with me or my family. No such cash or currency was shown to my family members or staff who were present on that fateful night.

"I also strongly deny and outrightly reject the insinuation if made, that we removed currency from the storeroom. As stated above, we were neither shown nor handed over any sacks of burnt currency. In fact, and as stated above, the limited debris which was sought to be salvaged continues to exist in one part of the residence," the judge said.

What happened?

Narrating his version of the incident, Justice Varma said a fire broke out in the storeroom situated near the staff quarters of his official residence on the intervening night of March 14-15, 2025.

He said this room was generally utilised by all and sundry to store articles such as unused furniture, bottles, crockery, mattresses, used carpets, old speakers, garden implements as well as CPWD material.

"This room is unlocked and accessible both from the official front gate as well as the backdoor of the staff quarters. It is disconnected from the main residence and is surely not a room in my house as has been portrayed and suggested in the article which appeared in the Times of India and certain other news reports.

"On that date, my wife and I were not in Delhi and travelling in Madhya Pradesh and it was only my daughter and aged mother who were at home. I returned to Delhi only on the evening of March 15, 2025, from Bhopal travelling on an Indigo flight with my wife," he said.

'Not ours'

He shared that when the fire broke out around midnight, the Fire Service was alerted by his daughter and private secretary whose calls would be duly recorded.

"During the exercise to douse the fire, all staff and the members of my household were asked to move away from the scene of the incident in view of safety concerns. After the fire was doused and when they went back to the scene of the incident, they saw no cash or currency on site.

"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 very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous," Justice Varma said.

He said suggestions 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.

With agency inputs