SC releases video of burnt cash at Justice Varma’s home, forms probe panel
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New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Saturday made public a video provided by the Delhi Police Commissioner to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, allegedly showing burnt cash piles at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma.
Along with the video, the Supreme Court's press statement also included the report submitted by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Varma’s response, and other related documents.
In his written explanation to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Varma, who is under scrutiny following allegations that a large sum of unaccounted cash was found at his residence last week, described the video as an attempt to “frame and malign” him. He asserted that the footage seemed to validate his belief that the incident was linked to a series of recent events, including unverified allegations that circulated on social media in December 2024.
"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. Our cash withdrawals, made from time to time, are all documented and always through regular banking channels, the use of UPI applications and cards. In so far as the allegation of the recovery of cash, I once again make it clear that no one from my house ever reported seeing any currency in burnt form in the room," Justice Varma stated.
He further argued that even if the video was taken at the time of the incident, no burnt cash appeared to have been seized as evidence. "None of the staff was shown any remnants of cash or currency that may have been present on site," he added.
On Friday, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to investigate the allegations against Justice Varma.
"The Chief Justice of India has constituted a three-member Committee consisting of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court, for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge of the High Court of Delhi," the Supreme Court stated in its press release.
Additionally, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court has been instructed not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma for the time being.
CJI Khanna has also received the report prepared by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court regarding the allegations. The apex court stated that the CJI will examine the report and initiate necessary action.
The Supreme Court clarified that the proposed transfer of Justice Varma to his parent High Court—the Allahabad High Court, where he will be ninth in seniority—is separate from the ongoing in-house inquiry.
"The proposal was examined by the Collegium comprising of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and four senior-most Judges of the Supreme Court on 20th March 2025, and thereafter letters were written to the consultee Judges of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justices of the High Courts concerned, and Justice Yashwant Varma. Responses received will be examined and, thereupon, the Collegium will pass a resolution," the statement said.
Born in January 1969, Justice Varma obtained a law degree from Rewa University and practised primarily in civil matters, including constitutional law, industrial disputes, corporate and taxation laws, and environmental regulations. He served as Chief Standing Counsel for the State of Uttar Pradesh from 2012 to August 2013, when he was designated as a ‘senior advocate’ by the Allahabad High Court.
Justice Varma was elevated as an Additional Judge in October 2014 and was transferred to the Delhi High Court in October 2021. At the Delhi High Court, he was the second seniormost judge handling writ petitions challenging the constitutional validity of laws, statutory rules, regulations, or notifications related to municipal tax matters.
As per the latest roster, the division bench led by Justice Varma, which also included Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, dealt with cases involving sales tax and GST, Letters Patent Appeals, regular First Appeals (Original Side), Company Appeals, and matters under the Commercial Appellate Division.
With IANS inputs