Justice Yashwant Varma denies allegations of charred cash, calls it ‘preposterous’

Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma has denied allegations regarding charred cash found in the storeroom of his official residence, stating that neither he nor his family ever placed any money there. In a response to Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya, he called the claims "preposterous" and asserted that the storeroom was a common storage area used for household items such as furniture, crockery, garden tools, and CPWD materials. He clarified that the room was unlocked, freely accessible, and separate from his main residence.

Justice Varma stated that he and his wife were in Madhya Pradesh on March 14-15, 2025, when the fire broke out in the storeroom near the staff quarters. His daughter and private secretary alerted the fire department, and he returned to Delhi on the evening of March 15. "Neither I nor any of my family members had any knowledge of cash, nor does it have any bearing or relation to me or my family," he said, adding that no sacks of burnt currency were ever shown to his family or staff during the site inspection.

He raised doubts over a video shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner, purportedly showing burnt currency in the fire. Justice Varma stated that when the site was restored to him after the fire was doused, no such cash was found. "What baffles me is the complete absence of any sacks of allegedly burnt currency which were ever recovered or seized," he said. He also pointed out that similar allegations had been circulated against him on social media in December 2024, suggesting a larger attempt to malign him.

Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has constituted a three-member committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into the matter. The panel includes Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court; Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the Karnataka High Court. The committee will examine Justice Varma’s response, along with the report submitted by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice and the materials provided by law enforcement.

Following these developments, Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya has been directed not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma until the inquiry concludes. Justice Varma continues to maintain that the allegations are baseless and that neither he nor his family had any involvement with the alleged cash. The Supreme Court’s in-house panel is expected to submit its findings after reviewing all available evidence.