SC releases video, photos of burning cash at Justice Varma's residence

The Supreme Court Saturday March 22, 2025 released an internal inquiry report by the High Court confirming the discovery of cash at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence

Sunday March 23, 2025 3:14 PM, ummid.com News Network

[(L) Image released by Supreme Court of India. Screen grab of video]

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Saturday March 22, 2025 released an internal inquiry report by the High Court confirming the discovery of cash at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence.

In an unprecedented move, the Supreme Court published over 20 page inquiry report submitted by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court also including a video and photos on its official website.

But, some portions of the documents including names have been redacted to maintain confidentiality, the Supreme Court said.

3-member Committee formed

Chief Justice of India Sanjv Khanna also constituted a 3-member Committee comprising of Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab & Haryana, Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of Himachal High Court, Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka to conduct an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma.

The Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi for the time being has also been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma.

Justice Varma, is his response which has also been included in the report, denied the cash belonged to him or his family members. He also said there is a conspiracy to frame him.

Justice Varma Cash-in-Home Case

A huge pile of unaccounted cash was found burning by fire fighters after they reached the bengalow of Justice Yashwant Varma on March 14, 2025, the Holi night following a fire complaint.

The blaze was doused immediately. However, the discovery of cash at the residence of a sitting judge at Delhi High Court raised serious concerns about the functioning and corruption in the Indian Judiciary.

When the matter came to the notice of CJI Khanna, he convened a meeting of SC Collegium which unanimously decided to transfer Justice Varma from Delhi High Court to Allahabad High Court, his parent court.

The CJI simultaneously also asked the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to submit in-house inquiry report.

Delhi HC in-house inquiry report

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

“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", the report said.

“Accordingly, I am of the prima facie opinion that the entire matter warrants a deeper probe,” Justice Upadhyaya said in the report which also contains a video of burning cash.

"Conspiracy to frame"

Justice Varma in his response said the fire broke out in the storeroom near the staff quarters of his official residence on the intervening night of 14-15 March when he was in Bhopal.

Justice Varma said the cash shown in the video and images did not belong to him or his family members. He also said there seems to be "a conspiracy to frame him".

"What baffles me is the complete absence of any sacks of allegedly burnt currency which were ever recovered or seized. We categorically assert that neither my daughter, PS [private secretary] nor household staff were shown these so-called sacks of burnt currency. I stand by my consistent position that when they accessed the storeroom, there was no currency, burnt or otherwise, which could be seen.

"I would beseech you to also bear in consideration that no currency was recovered from the premises that we actually occupy and use as a family. That part of the premises is as indicated above removed from the living quarters. It is in the aforesaid background that I urge you to absolve me of these unfounded and baseless allegations.

"In the life of a judge, nothing matters more than reputation and character. That has been severely tarnished and irreparably damaged. The baseless allegations that have been levelled against me have proceeded on mere innuendos and an unproven assumption that the cash allegedly seen and found belonged to me," Justice Varma said in his response.

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