According to Delhi Fire Services Chief Atul Garg, their control room received a distress call about the fire at 11:35 PM on March 14.
NEW DELHI: A fire broke out at the official residence of Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma on the night of March 14. The Delhi Fire Services (DFS) quickly responded to the emergency and put out the fire within minutes. The department clarified that no cash was found during the operation.
According to Delhi Fire Services Chief Atul Garg, their control room received a distress call about the fire at 11:35 PM on March 14.
“The control room received a call about a blaze at Varma’s Lutyens Delhi residence at 11.35 pm on March 14 and two fire tenders were immediately rushed to the spot,”
said Mr. Garg.
The fire tenders arrived at the location by 11:43 PM.
“Fire tenders reached the spot at 11.43 pm,” he confirmed. The fire was located in a store room filled with stationery and household items. It took about 15 minutes to extinguish the flames. Fortunately, no one was injured.
No Cash Found, Says Fire Chief
Following the fire, the department promptly informed the police.
“Soon after dousing the flames, we informed police about the fire incident. Thereafter, a team of fire department personnel left the spot,” Mr. Garg stated. He also emphasized that firefighters did not come across any money while carrying out their duties. “Our firefighters did not find any cash during their firefighting operation,” he clarified.
Amid the incident, reports surfaced that a large amount of cash was allegedly found at Justice Varma’s residence during the fire. In response, the Supreme Court collegium has initiated a preliminary inquiry into the matter. Additionally, discussions are underway regarding Justice Varma’s possible transfer to the Allahabad High Court.
The Supreme Court of India today started an internal investigation, called an in-house inquiry, against Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court. This step was taken after a large amount of unaccounted cash was found at his house.
Apex Court constitutes 3-judge in-house committee to enquire into allegations against Delhi HC Judge Yashwant Varma.
This serious situation came to light after a fire broke out at the judge’s residence. According to media reports, the fire brigade reached the house to control the fire, and during their work, they found a huge pile of money. This unexpected discovery has raised many questions.
Following this, the Supreme Court has asked for a detailed report from the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya.
According to reports,
“A fire at the judge’s house had inadvertently led to the recovery of cash by the firefighters, media reported.”
This shocking incident brought the matter into public attention.
After this, the Supreme Court Collegium, which is a group of senior judges responsible for appointments and transfers of judges, decided to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma back to his original High Court, the Allahabad High Court.
However, all judges of the Supreme Court gathered for a full court meeting on Friday morning. In this meeting, many judges expressed their opinion that just transferring the judge would not be enough. They said that strong and proper action must be taken to maintain the dignity of the judiciary and people’s trust in the court system.
Because of this, an internal investigation has now officially started. The process to transfer Justice Varma is still going on, but it has not yet been approved by the central government.
On the same day, Justice Yashwant Varma did not attend the court. His court staff informed in open court that he was on leave.
