Bhubaneswar: The saga of fire that unravels the stockpile of cash at a sitting Judge’s Bungalow is still stirring the pot. The Apex court has made public the inquiry report of Delhi HC Chief Justice. The report has brought some finer details to the spotlight. The Apex court has also released the photos that shows presence of cash.
Meanwhile, Justice Yashwant Verma has vehemently denied of any cash stocked in his official Bungalow. The Judge’s reply to Delhi HC CJ has been made public by the Supreme Court of India. The Justice Verma side of story has a different tale.
JUSTICE VERMA VERSION
Detailing his version on the fire and cash, Justice Verma, in his reply, has completely rubbished the claims and termed it a larger conspiracy. The finer points of Justice Verma’s reply noted below.
- A fire broke out in the storeroom situated near the staff quarters of my official residence on the intervening night of 14/15 March 2025.
- This room was generally utilised by all and sundry to store articles such as unused furniture, bottles, crockery, mattresses, used carpets, old speakers, garden implements as well as CPWD material.
- This room is unlocked and accessible both from the official front gate as well as the backdoor of the staff quarters.
- It is disconnected from the main residence and is surely not a room in my house as has been portrayed in news reports.
- On that date, my wife and I were not in Delhi and travelling in Madhya Pradesh and it was only my daughter and aged mother who were at home.
- When the fire broke out around midnight, the Fire Service was alerted by my daughter and my Private Secretary.
- 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.
- Therefore, I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members and strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us.
- 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.
- I vividly recollect your first phone call to me on that evening when you apprised me of having received information of an incident of arson at my residence.
- I expressed shock and complete disbelief since till that time I was led to believe that it was merely a fire caused by a short circuit.
- You had thereafter requested for the PPS to be permitted to visit the site and to which I had readily agreed.
- The PPS arrived later that night and when I, my PS along with the PPS inspected the gutted room, no currency was either found nor was any cash in any state seen present on site.
- It was during our meeting at the High Court Guesthouse that I was first shown the video and other photographs which had been shared with you by the Commissioner of Police.
- I was totally shocked to see the contents of the video since that depicted something which was not found on site as I had seen it.
- It was this which prompted me to observe that this clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign me.
- It also lends credence to my firm belief that the entire incident is part of a sequence of events which occurred in the recent past including the unfounded allegations that circulated on social media in December 2024.
TAKE AWAYS OF JUSTICE VARMA’S REPLY
A glance at the Justice Varma version has the following big takeaways.
- The statement shows Justice Varma disowning the outhouse as not part of his official residence.
- Second, he mentioned that it is accessible to all.
- He cites some recent past incident to term it a conspiracy.
- To prove it a conspiracy, he cited the evidence of none from his family or staff present while fire was being doused.
- Moreover, after the fire doused, none from his family, staff had found any cash.
- Justice Varma stated there were no cash when Delhi HC CJ PPS, and he visited the site.
WHAT DELHI HC CJ INQUIRY REPORT HINTS?
The Delhi HC Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya has presented his on-site inspection report to the Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. Here are the finer details of the report.
- An incident of fire at one of the rooms within the premises of the bungalow occupied by Justice Yashwant Varma was reported to me by Mr. Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi.
- On 15.3.2025, while I was at Lucknow on account of Holi vacations, at around 4.50 pm, I got a call from Mr. Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi, informing about an incident of fire which broke out on 14.3.2025 at about 11.30 pm in a store room near the office at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi, which has been allotted to Justice Yashwant Varma.
- On receiving the said information from the Commissioner of Police, I spoke to your goodself on 15.3.2025 in the evening itself and on your instructions, I requested the Commissioner of Police, Delhi to find out as to from which source the PCR call was made.
- I also called for certain other informations from him.
- In response, whereof, the Commissioner of Police informed me on 16.3.2025
- The PCR call was made by Personal Secretary to Justice Yashwant Varma from mobile number which is registered in the name of the High Court of Delhi
- The Personal Secretary to Justice Yashwant Varma was informed about the fire by one of the servants placed at the residence of the Hon'ble Judge.
- It has also been informed that the fire service was not informed separately
- Once PCR was contacted the information relating to fire was automatically sent to the Delhi Fire Service.
- The Commissioner of Police has also informed that the store room is adjacent to the Guard Room where Central Reserve Police Force (Battalion 70F) is posted and that the store room used to be kept locked.
- I have also been informed that as per the Security Guard posted at the residence of the Hon'ble Judge, some debris and half burnt articles were removed in the morning of 15.3.2025.
- I instructed Registrar cum-Secretary attached with me, to visit the spot.
- He visited the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma and on reaching there,
- He called Private Secretary to Justice Yashwant Varma to come out of the bungalow.
- His Pvt Secy came out and took to Justice Yashwant Varma who was sitting in his office.
- Both visited the room where the fire had taken place, which is adjacent to the office.
- Accordingly, PPS prepared a report and submitted the same to me.
THE REPORT OF PPS
- As per the said report, it was informed that the room was being used as a store room to keep useless articles of household and remain accessible to all and was not kept locked.
- In his report, he also mentions that on reaching the spot, he found out that it was complete dark inside the room and the walls had developed cracks.
- The report further mentions that with the help of mobile phones torch, he and Justice Yashwant Varma had a look inside the room and it was found that all the walls had gone black on account of fire and some material was hanging from the roof and half burnt articles were lying there
- And further that burnt articles/debris were lying on the floor.
- PPS spent about 8- 10 minutes in the room and thereafter came out.
OPINION OF DELHI HC CJ
- On examining the incident reported, the material available and the response of Justice Yashwant Varma,
- What I find is that the Commissioner of Police in his report dated 16.3.2025 has reported that as per the guard posted at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, the debris and other partially burnt articles were removed from the room where the fire had broken out in the morning of 15.3.2025.
- The enquiry conducted by me, prima facie, does not reveal possibility of entry or access to the room by any person other than those residing in the bungalow, the servants, the gardeners and CPWD personnels, if any.
- Accordingly, I am of the prima facie opinion that the entire matter warrants a deeper probe.
TAKEAWAYS OF DELHI CJ REPORT
- The inquiry report considers the fire spot a part of Justice Varma’s residence.
- It said the room is not accessible to all and sundry.
- It is accessible to all persons who are residing only in the Bungalow.
