The controversy surrounding Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma deepened after burnt ₹500 currency notes were found in debris near his residence, triggering speculation amid an ongoing probe into alleged cash recovery from his official quarters.
A video shared by news agency ANI showed fragments of burnt cash among the debris, with sanitation workers confirming they discovered the remains while cleaning the area.
Sanitation Workers Claim Finding Burnt Cash
Inderjeet, a sanitation worker, told ANI, “We were cleaning here 4-5 days ago when we found some small pieces of burnt ₹500 notes. We do not know where a fire broke out; we just collect garbage.” Another worker, Surender, corroborated this, stating, “We found some burnt ₹500 notes then, and even now, we spotted a few pieces.”
Justice Varma Denies Allegations
In response to the allegations, Justice Yashwant Varma has strongly denied any connection to the recovered cash. According to an ANI report, he addressed the matter in a letter to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, asserting that his reputation had been unfairly tarnished.
“For a judge, reputation and character are of utmost importance. Sadly, mine have been gravely tarnished by baseless claims built on unsubstantiated innuendos and the unfounded assumption that the cash reportedly discovered during the fire belonged to me,” Justice Varma was quoted as saying.
He further stated, “I categorically reject any suggestion that we removed currency from the storeroom. We were neither shown nor given any sacks of burnt currency. The debris recovered was confined to a particular section of the residence, and there was no evidence of any currency.”
Supreme Court Initiates Inquiry
Amid the controversy, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has set up a three-member in-house committee to investigate the allegations. On Saturday night, the Supreme Court made public a 25-page report, including photos and videos related to the alleged cash stash.
As a result of the ongoing probe, the Supreme Court has directed Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma.
Sources By Agencies