Twist In The Tale: Now Official Says No Cash Was Found From Judge’s Residence
The controversy surrounding the alleged recovery of cash from the residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma has taken a fresh turn, with Delhi Fire Services (DFS) Chief Atul Garg stating that firefighters did not find any cash during their operation.
Garg clarified on Friday that the fire brigade responded to an emergency call at Justice Varma’s Lutyens Delhi residence at 11:35 pm on 14 March. Two fire tenders arrived at the scene by 11:43 pm and controlled the fire within 15 minutes. The blaze was confined to a store room containing stationery and domestic items. “Soon after dousing the flames, we informed the police. Our firefighters did not find any cash during their firefighting operation,” he stated.
This contradicts earlier reports that police had documented the recovery of a large amount of unaccounted cash from the judge’s official residence. Reports suggested that the incident prompted Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to convene an urgent collegium meeting, leading to Justice Varma’s transfer back to the Allahabad High Court, where he had previously served before being appointed to the Delhi HC in 2021.
The Congress party reacted strongly to the reports, demanding greater judicial accountability. Party General Secretary Jairam Ramesh urged the government to take concrete steps to address the concerns raised by the alleged incident. Meanwhile, some collegium members reportedly questioned whether a mere transfer was sufficient, warning that failing to take stricter action could damage the judiciary’s credibility.
Journalist Rohini Singh, alleging a cover-up, called for a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe and raised several questions. She questioned whether a senior police officer had shown the judge a recorded video of the alleged cash and whether original recordings had been deleted from firemen’s phones. She also asked whether the police had made a proper seizure memo of the alleged cash or investigated the role of a media editor’s son, who was reportedly a key figure in the matter.
