For roughly eight hours after a fire at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma, the Delhi Police headquarters was in the dark about the incident, several senior officers have told The Indian Express. Narrating what transpired after the fire — which was reported by Justice Varma’s personal assistant at 11.30 pm on March 14 and put out by midnight — a highly placed source said, “Once the blaze was extinguished, the judge’s PA asked the five police personnel who had arrived at the spot to leave and return in the morning.” Justice Varma was away with his wife at the time of the blaze, which broke out in a storeroom attached to his residence. The Indian Express contacted Justice Varma’s PA but he was unavailable for comment. Sources said the investigating officer of the case paid a visit to the residence the next morning but was asked to come later. Sources said that at 8 am on March 15, the Additional DCP (New Delhi district) presented the morning diary —a summary of key developments from the area over the last 24 hours — to his seniors. The morning diary included details of the fire. This was then conveyed to the Commissioner of Police, who was also shown videos captured after the blaze. The police chief, sources said, reported the matter to his higher-ups at the Centre before alerting the Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya about the development around 4.50 pm. Sources also said that in response to a request from the Delhi High Court Chief Justice’s registrar cum secretary, the Delhi Police this week shared details of Justice Varma’s security from September 1, 2024, until date. The police informed that 40 CRPF personnel and three Delhi Police officials were deployed there on rotation during this period. The Delhi Police spokesperson and DCP (New Delhi district) did not respond to queries seeking a comment. As reported by The Indian Express, the five police personnel who were among the first responders during the fire have submitted their phones to the Delhi Police headquarters. The devices, sources said, will be used in the inquiry being conducted by a three-member committee of judges set up by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna. Sources told The Indian Express that one of the key questions being asked of the Delhi Police is why a spot panchanama was not drawn on the night of the incident. A panchnama requires five independent persons to witness the spot and recount it later during trial. It is learnt that this is also the first question that the in-house inquiry panel is looking into.
