Delhi High Court Suspends Justice Yashwant Varma Days After Cash Recovery In Fire Accident At His Residence

Delhi High Court on Monday (24 March) updated its supplementary cause list, announcing the suspension of judicial duties of Justice Yashwant Varma with immediate effect, citing “recent developments” as the reason, ANI reported.

This development comes on the heels of a major controversy surrounding a fire that broke out on 14 March at Justice Varma’s official residence.

In the aftermath, authorities allegedly discovered a substantial amount of cash in a storeroom that was damaged during the blaze.

Justice Varma has categorically denied the accusations. In his formal response, he stated that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by him or any of his family members, and he strongly denounced the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to them.

He also asserted the room in question was an outhouse and not the main building where the judge and family reside.

Calling the episode a deliberate conspiracy aimed at framing him, Justice Varma maintained his innocence and called for a fair investigation.

The Supreme Court, which has taken cognisance of the matter, on Saturday night released the preliminary inquiry report submitted by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who observed that the matter warrants a deeper probe.

In a swift response, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has constituted a three-member committee comprising senior judges to investigate the allegations.