Delhi HC Chief Justice Calls For 'Deeper Probe' As Judge Varma Rejects Cash-At-Home Charges
Justice Yashwant Varma said, "I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members"
Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya has recommended a “deeper probe" into a controversy over the alleged discovery of cash at a judge’s residence in the national capital, according to documents made public by the Supreme Court on Saturday night.
The documents also showed that Justice Yashwant Varma, in the eye of the cash-at-home storm, has strongly denied the allegations against him, stressing “unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members", and that there was likely a “conspiracy" against him. This was the first time that his statement on the raging controversy was out in public.
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Read more: Three-Judge Panel To Probe ‘Cash Recovery’ Charge Against Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma
Justice Yashwant Varma said, “The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous." He also stated that the room that caught fire and where cash was allegedly found was an outhouse.
Read more: Who Is Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma, Embroiled In Cash Discovery Row?
He continued, “The suggestion that one would store cash in an open, freely accessible and commonly used storeroom near the staff quarters or in an outhouse verges on the incredible and incredulous. It is a room which is completely disassociated from my living areas and a boundary wall demarcates my living area from that outhouse. I only wish that the media had conducted some enquiry before I came to be indicted and defamed in the press."
The Chief Justice of India constituted a three-member in-house inquiry committee to examine the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma. The committee 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 Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma.
Earlier, the Supreme Court Collegium ordered the immediate transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to his parent court in Allahabad.
The Supreme Court said, “The proposal for the transfer of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, who is the second senior most judge in the Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium, to his parent High Court, i.e. the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, where he will be ninth in seniority, is independent and separate from the In-house inquiry procedure."
Delhi HC Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay Meets Fire Officials, Top Cops
According to top sources cited by CNN, Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay met fire officials, top police officials and Supreme Court’s vigilance department officials. Justice Upadhyay had apprised CJI of the need to meet these officials even after the report was filed.
People related to the matter told CNN News 18 that though the report was submitted on Friday night, Justice Upadhyay wanted to supplement the report so the meeting was necessary.
Meeting Continued For More Than An Hour At HC
In the meeting that continued for over an hour, Justice Upadhyay asked these officials about the timing of the fire call, the actual spot of fire and cash recovery and if any seizures were done by the police or the fire department officials.
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