Probe Against Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma Intensifies As Police Officers Who Found Cash Are Asked To Hand Over Phones

The controversy surrounding Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma has deepened, with five police personnel who were first responders to the fire at his residence on 14 March handing over their mobile phones to the Delhi Police headquarters, Indian Express reported.

These devices, according to IE sources, will be examined as part of the inquiry led by a three member committee of judges appointed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, following allegations that a large sum of cash was discovered during the blaze.

The officers, including the station house officer (SHO) of Tughlaq Road police station, a sub-inspector, two head constables, and a constable, were summoned by Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora on Monday (24 March).

Arora reportedly urged them to cooperate with the inquiry and not to hesitate in divulging any information.

Meanwhile, the Delhi Police has sought a report from the Delhi Fire Service on the cause of the fire, which broke out in a storeroom attached to the judge’s residence.

Additionally, the New Delhi district police has submitted two reports to the police chief, one of which states that the judge’s personal assistant made the emergency call, and fire tenders arrived before the police.

Officials from the NDMC and CPWD were also present, and it took approximately 20 minutes to extinguish the fire.

Justice Varma has strongly refuted the allegations, stating, “When the fire broke out around midnight, the fire service was alerted by my daughter and my private secretary, whose calls would be duly recorded. During the exercise to douse the fire, all staff and the members of my household were asked to move away from the scene of the incident in view of safety concerns. After the fire was doused and when they went back to the scene of the incident, they saw no cash or currency on site.”

In another development, the Supreme Court on Monday also formally recommended Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court, intensifying speculation over the implications of the case.