New Delhi : Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court, who is facing serious allegations regarding the discovery of a large amount of unaccounted cash at his residence, has responded in writing to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, calling the incident a “conspiracy” aimed at framing and maligning him.
In his written explanation submitted on Saturday, Justice Varma expressed shock upon viewing the visuals showing a pile of burnt cash, stating that the footage depicted something entirely different from what he had witnessed at the scene of the incident. He emphasized that this discrepancy led him to believe the event was part of a larger plot against him.
“I was totally shocked to see the contents of the video since that depicted something which was not found on site as I had seen it. It was this which prompted me to observe that this clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign me,” Justice Varma said in his statement.
The judge further asserted that the incident had reinforced his “firm belief” that the whole matter was tied to a series of unfounded allegations circulating on social media in December 2024.
Justice Varma categorically denied that he or any of his family members had stored or kept cash or currency in the storeroom where the fire had occurred. He insisted that all of their cash transactions were fully documented, carried out through regular banking channels, and made via UPI applications and cards.
“I unequivocally state that neither I nor any of my family members had stored or kept any cash or currency in that storeroom at any point of time,” Justice Varma affirmed. He explained that the storeroom was primarily used for storing various items such as unused furniture, bottles, mattresses, and old garden implements, among others.
The judge also clarified that the room where the fire broke out was not part of his main residence but was accessible from both the official front gate and the backdoor of the staff quarters. He stressed that the storeroom was “unlocked and accessible both from the official front gate as well as the backdoor of the staff quarters,” and was separate from his personal living areas.
During the efforts to extinguish the fire, all household staff and family members were instructed to stay away from the site for safety reasons, Justice Varma explained. After the fire was contained, they reportedly did not find any currency or cash at the scene.
“The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous,” he said. He emphasized the implausibility of storing large sums of money in an accessible storeroom near the staff quarters.
Justice Varma also expressed frustration with the media coverage, pointing out that the incident had caused severe damage to his reputation. “In the life of a judge, nothing matters more than reputation and character. That has been severely tarnished and irreparably damaged,” he lamented.
He firmly rejected any insinuation that he or his family members had removed currency from the storeroom, reiterating that they had not been shown any sacks of burnt currency and that no currency was found on site after the fire was extinguished.
In response to the allegations, the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, on Friday constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry into the matter. The committee includes Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana; Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh; and Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka.
The Supreme Court’s statement noted that the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court had been directed to temporarily refrain from assigning any judicial work to Justice Varma pending the inquiry.
