Witnesses saw large pile of cash; Justice Varma filed no complaint: Inquiry panel
Multiple witnesses saw a large pile of currency notes inside Justice Yashwant Varma's residence, but he never filed a police complaint or informed judicial authorities, a Supreme Court-appointed inquiry panel has found. The panel also termed the conduct of the Allahabad High Court judge 'unnatural' and recommended his removal.The panel investigating the recovery of a large stash of cash from the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma concluded that there is "sufficient substance" in the allegations against him. The committee found eyewitness accounts and visual evidence of a significant quantity of banknotes — some of them half-burnt — at the judge's Delhi home, and flagged his 'unnatural' conduct, including his failure to report the incident.advertisementThe panel examined 55 witnesses, including Justice Varma's daughter, and found corroborative testimony from fire and police personnel as well as videos and photographs showing "a large pile" of Rs 500 notes strewn across the storeroom floor.
One witness told the panel, "I was shocked and surprised by such a large amount of cash it was the first time I saw anything like it in my life".Despite this, neither Justice Varma nor any of his family members reported the matter to the police or brought it to the attention of senior judicial authorities. "No plausible explanation has been given the judge's claim of lack of knowledge is unbelievable," the panel noted, adding that "if there was any conspiracy, why did he not file a complaint or inform the Chief Justice of the High Court or the Chief Justice of India?"WHO ARE THE 10 WITNESSES?advertisementThe ten individuals who testified to seeing the currency notes include senior officials from the Delhi Fire Service (DFS) and the Delhi Police—those who were among the first to respond to the fire.They are: Ankit Sehwag (Fire Officer, DFS), Pradeep Kumar (Fire Officer, DFS), Manoj Mehlawat (Station Officer, DFS), Bhanwar Singh (Driver, DFS), Pravindra Malik (Fire Officer, DFS), Suman Kumar (Assistant Divisional Officer, DFS), Rajesh Kumar (from Tughlaq Road Police Station), Sunil Kumar (Incharge, ICPCR), Roop Chand (Head Constable), and Umesh Malik (SHO, Tughlaq Road Police Station).Furthermore, the committee said access to the storeroom, where the fire broke out and the cash was found, was controlled exclusively by Justice Varma and his family. It noted that the room was later cleaned out and the notes 'disappeared'.A private secretary to the judge allegedly directed fire officials to exclude any mention of the currency notes from their official report. According to the fire services, a superior officer told them not to pursue the matter further since "higher ups were involved".While the domestic staff denied seeing the cash, the panel said there was no reason to disbelieve the independent accounts of police and fire officials.The committee also rejected Justice Varma's defence that the episode was a 'conspiracy' to malign his image. "Currency notes were seen by multiple people and recorded in real time. It is implausible they were planted to frame him," it said.advertisementIt also flagged the possible roles of his private secretary Rajinder Singh Karki and his daughter Diya Varma in the 'destruction of evidence or cleaning of the spot.'Justice Varma first came under scrutiny in March when a fire broke out at his official residence. The inquiry has "undeniably established" that a substantial amount of cash, reportedly stacked 1.5 feet high, was recovered from the premises.Transferred back to the Allahabad High Court in the wake of the incident, Justice Varma has not been assigned any judicial work. He continues to maintain his innocence and has neither resigned nor opted for voluntary retirement, calling the inquiry a "fundamentally unjust" process.Must Watch
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Indian Express
31 minutes ago
- Indian Express
ACB arrests AMC estate inspector in disproportionate assets case
The Gujarat Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) arrested an estate inspector of the Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation (AMC) for alleged possession of disproportionate assets (DA) to the tune of Rs 3.07 crore, according to a statement. The ACB statement issued on Thursday stated that the accused Jignesh Surendra Shah, a Class-2 Estate/TDO Inspector of East Zone of the AMC, was booked and arrested for the alleged possession of disproportionate assets (DA) to the tune of Rs 3.07 crore, which it alleged was 102.47% disproportionate to his known sources of income. According to the statement, the ACB conducted its preliminary inquiry based on an application it received regarding Shah's allegedly disproportionate assets. The ACB said that the period of investigation ranged between April 1, 2012 and March 31, 2022, during which the officer had allegedly used unlawful means to accumulate disproportionate assets. The investigation is being carried out by ACB Police Inspector VD Chaudhary. Further probe into the matter is underway.
Indian Express
36 minutes ago
- Indian Express
Gujarat: 40-km detour for Chhota Udepur commuters after Bharaj river diversion closed
The commute to and from the tribal district Chhota Udepur would now require a detour of an additional 40 kilometers after the district administration ordered the closure of a makeshift diversion constructed on the Bharaj river and witnessed a partial washout due to heavy rains. The diversion made on the riverbed by making culverts in the riverpath has been the only connection for vehicular traffic to the tribal district after the dilapidated main bridge on NH56, over the river, collapsed in August 2024 due to heavy rains. On Saturday, District Collector Gargi Jain and officials of the district police department rushed to the spot as the diversion was washed out due to heavy rain. The diversion was ordered to be closed until the National Highway Authority of India (NHAI) examined the same for structural stability. Instead, vehicular traffic was directed to take the old highway connecting Chhota Udepur to Vadodara, which means a detour of 40 km. Sharing more details, Jain said, 'The diversion that was created on the Bharaj bridge has shown several cracks. The NHAI is conducting a structural stability analysis and once the report is received, we will decide based on the strength of the structure assessed if it should be opened to traffic. For now, we are closing the diversion'. 'There is an old diversion road that can be used by motorists in the interim. We will decide after the NHAI report what should be done,' the district collector added. The Bharaj bridge has been a contentious issue since July 2023, when it was damaged due to flooding after water was released from the Sukhi dam. The bridge was subsequently closed for a long time. In August 2024, a major part of the dilapidated bridge had collapsed during the monsoon. The NHAI is currently working on constructing a new bridge over the river, the foundation stone for which was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit on May 26 this year. The new bridge is estimated to be built at a cost of Rs 26 crore.
Time of India
37 minutes ago
- Time of India
Patil writes to CM on mining scams, BJP questions timing
Bengaluru/Raichur: Law minister HK Patil has written a detailed letter to chief minister Siddaramaiah expressing deep concern over the govt's failure to act on thousands of illegal mining cases that allegedly led to a loss of Rs 1.5 lakh crore between 2007 and 2011. In a seven-page letter dated June 18, Patil criticised the "administrative apathy" in handling these cases and called for stern action against the culprits and recovery of lost public wealth. He reminded Siddaramaiah of the 320-km foot march to Ballari in 2010 against illegal mining when the Congress was in opposition. Patil, who headed the cabinet sub-committee on illegal mining during Siddaramaiah's previous term (2013–18), noted in the letter that only 7.6% of more than 12,000 registered illegal mining cases have been investigated so far. "In just 2 per cent of these seven per cent, which means in only 0.2 per cent of the total number of cases, verdicts have come and cases have seen a conclusion," he further added. In Raichur, Patil on Saturday said, "I have brought it to the notice of the CM about what has to be done. The letter is written in the interest of the state and its people. The chief minister has seen the letter and has taken the matter seriously." He also warned that documents related to these illegalities should not be destroyed and called for vigilance. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Giao dịch vàng CFDs với mức chênh lệch giá thấp nhất IC Markets Đăng ký Undo Suggesting fresh measures, he proposed appointing a recovery commissioner under the Criminal Law Amendment Ordinance, 1946, creation of a new SIT, and a special court for speedy trial. BJP MP Lahar Singh Siroya questioned the timing. "I am happy that law minister wrote a seven-page letter to CM, reminding him of the commitment he had made to recover the iron ore scam money... I wonder why Patil took so long to remind his CM on the unrecovered funds. Timing is everything in politics."
