Cash found at judge’s house: HC asks Delhi Police for Justice Yashwant Varma’s call records, security staff details

The request was made by Naresh Chand Garg, Registrar and Secretary to the Delhi High Court Chief Justice. This was done at the behest of CJI Khanna.

When contacted by The Sunday Express, Garg said: “I do not want to comment on this matter.”

Following the receipt of Garg’s missive, an internal communication was circulated by the security division to the DCP (police control room) and DCP (1st battalion) at around 12:22 pm. According to sources, while Varma’s CDR for the last six months has been shared with Upadhyay’s office, the police are still collating information pertaining to his IPDR for the same period.

“Kindly provide details name, rank, belt no and mobile no of staff static armed guard and commander of CRPF, who are deployed at 30, Tughlak Road, in respect of PP Mr Yashwant Verma, Justice DHC from September 1, 2024 to till date, immediately through reserve inspector, security lines, Bapu Dham. A compliance report may also be sent to this office,” the internal communication circulated by the security division reads.

Even as this information was being gathered by the security division, the Delhi Police headquarters Saturday also asked the New Delhi district police to share information on the first responders who arrived at the judge’s house following a fire-related call on March 14 and the sequence of events that followed.

Another source said the New Delhi district police have been asked to prepare a basic initial report — mentioning the names of all the first responders who went to the official residence of Justice Varma after receiving a call at the PCR from Justice Varma’s personal secretary RS Karki, who also informed the officials of Fire department, NDMC, CPWD.

“After receiving the call, police rushed to the spot and found a room locked and fire teams, along with the local police, went in after breaking the lock,” a source said.

It was during dousing the fire that, it is alleged, that the first responders found cash although Delhi Fire Service report on the incident stated that the fire was in “stationery and domestic articles”.

Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg had said Friday that his personnel extinguished the fire within a few minutes. Asked about reports of cash at the judge’s residence, he said, “We do not have any information on this.”

Incidentally, at the collegium meeting Thursday evening, a decision was taken to transfer Varma to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court. This development, the Supreme Court said in a statement on Friday, was “independent and separate from the in-house enquiry procedure” initiated by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court upon receiving information about the (fire) incident.

Justice Varma was appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021, nearly seven years after he was elevated as judge at his parent court, Allahabad High Court.