New Delhi:
Justice Yashwant Varma – the Delhi High Court judge at whose home a pile of burnt cash was discovered on Holi, after a fire was put out – has been removed from active duty with “immediate effect till further orders”, Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya said Monday morning.
According to the Delhi High Court website Justice Varma – appointed in October 2021 – heads a division bench dealing with matters relating to sales tax, goods and services tax, company appeals, etc.
This follows the Supreme Court forming a three-member committee – consisting of the chief justices of the Punjab and Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, and Karnataka High Courts – to investigate the matter.
Justice Varma said last week neither he nor any member of his family kept money in the outhouse – a structure he said is “disconnected from the main residence”, is kept unlocked, and can be accessed by anybody else. He also declared himself “truly shocked” and claimed a “conspiracy” against him.
Justice Varma also said his family’s cash withdrawals are documented and “always through regular banking channels, the use of UPI applications and cards”.
The controversy around Justice Varma broke last week when news of the cash was made public and the Supreme Court Collegium decided to return him to the Allahabad High Court.
Screengrab from a video that claims to show the burnt piles of money.
The proposed transfer invited sharp observations about the need for a thorough inquiry. Among those critics was senior advocate Harish Salve, who told NDTV the Collegium system “is not equipped” to deal with such issues and argued the transfer should be put on hold till the facts are established.
READ | “Put Transfer On Hold”: Harish Salve To NDTV On Judge Cash Case
The Supreme Court later said Justice Varma’s ‘transfer’ was unrelated to inquiries into the pile of money found at his home – blaming “misinformation” and “rumours” and announced an in-house probe.
READ | Top Court Sets Up Panel To Probe Allegations In Judge Cash Case
Meanwhile, a report filed by the Delhi High Court has been made public – including photographs and videos – by the Supreme Court in an unprecedented move to ensure transparency.
READ | Report On Judge Cash Row Made Public, Includes Pics, Videos
Some sections, however, were redacted to maintain confidentiality.
The discovery of the burnt pile of money was shrouded in controversy of its own, after Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg denied reports linking him to a statement claiming no cash was found.
When asked why his name was being quoted, Mr Garg replied, “I don’t know why,” adding that he had already sent a clarification to the media outlets carrying the incorrect statement.
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