Conspiracy to malign: Justice Varma on ‘cash found’ at home
Justice Varma’s statement came in reply to the letter from the CJI, who had sought written explanations regarding the presence of cash allegedly found in the storeroom of his residence
Justice Yashwant Varma has claimed that he is being framed in what he described as a “conspiracy to malign” him, categorically denying any connection to cash reportedly discovered at his residence after a fire broke out last week.
Responding to questions posed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna in a letter to Delhi high court chief justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, justice Varma asserted that neither he nor his family members had any knowledge of the money and denounced the allegations as “totally preposterous.”
“I unequivocally state that neither I nor any of my family members had stored or kept any cash or currency in that storeroom at any point of time. The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous,” Justice Varma said in his written response that was released by the Supreme Court on Saturday night along with a statement that the CJI has set up a three-member in-house inquiry panel to probe him.
Justice Varma’s statement came in reply to the letter from the CJI, who had sought written explanations regarding the presence of cash allegedly found in the storeroom of his residence. The letter, addressed to HC chief justice Upadhyaya on March 21, 2025, directed that Justice Varma be asked to account for the cash, explain its source, and clarify who had removed the purportedly burnt money. Additionally, he was instructed not to dispose of or modify data on his mobile phones while call records were sought from service providers.
According to Justice Varma, the fire was reported around midnight, and emergency services were alerted by his daughter and private secretary. During firefighting efforts, all household members and staff were asked to vacate the premises for safety reasons. Once the fire was extinguished, he claimed there was no sign of cash at the scene.
“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,” said the judge, adding that “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.”
Justice Varma also raised concerns over what he called an orchestrated attempt to damage his reputation. He linked the allegations to previous unfounded accusations circulated on social media in December 2024 and noted that the chief justice of the High Court had initially characterised the fire as an act of arson.
“What baffles me is the complete absence of any sacks of allegedly burnt currency which were ever recovered or seized. We categorically assert that neither my daughter, PS (private secretary), nor household staff were shown these so-called sacks of burnt currency. I stand by my consistent position that when they accessed the storeroom, there was no currency, burnt or otherwise, which could be seen,” he wrote.
Justice Varma questioned the authenticity of a video purportedly showing burnt cash, which he was shown only later. He maintained that the scene he personally witnessed did not match what was depicted in the footage.
“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,” he said.
The judge reiterated that neither he nor his family had withdrawn or stored cash in such a manner, emphasizing that all financial transactions had been conducted through documented banking channels, UPI applications, and card payments. Expressing dismay over what he described as an attempt to damage his judicial standing, he underscored that his decade-long tenure as a high court judge had been free from any allegations regarding integrity.
“In the life of a judge, nothing matters more than reputation and character. That has been severely tarnished and irreparably damaged. The baseless allegations that have been levelled against me have proceeded on mere innuendos and an unproven assumption that the cash allegedly seen and found belonged to me,” he wrote.
Justice Varma has called for an inquiry into his judicial conduct and reputation among members of the legal fraternity, asserting that his integrity remains intact.