SUPREME COURT OF INDIA
PRESS RELEASE
March 22, 2025
The Chief Justice of India has constituted a three member Committee
consisting of Mr. Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab &
Haryana, Mr. Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of
Himachal Pradesh, and Ms. Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of
Karnataka, for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Mr. Justice
Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge of the High Court of Delhi.
The Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi for the time being has been
asked not to assign any judicial work to Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.
The Report submitted by the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi,
response of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, and other documents, are annexed.
Note: To maintain confidentiality, etc., some portions and names have been redacted.
215 March, 2025
Respected Chief Justice of India,
An incident of fire at one of the rooms within the
premises of the bungalow occupied by Justice Yashwant Varma
was reported to me by Mr. Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of
Police, Delhi. I deem it appropriate to report the same to your
goodself.
On 15.3.2025, while I was at Lucknow on account of
Holi vacations, at around 4.50 pm, I got a call from Mr. Sanjay
Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi, informing about an
incident of fire which broke out on 14.3.2025 at about 11.30 pm
in a store room near the office at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New
Delhi, which has been allotted to Justice Yashwant Varma.
On receiving thesaid informationfrom the
Commissioner of Police, I spoke to your goodself on 15.3.2025
in the evening itself and on your instructions, I requested the
Commissioner of Police, Delhi to find out as to from which
source the PCR call was made. I also called for certain other
informations from him, in response whereof the Commissioner
of Police informed me on 16.3.2025 that PCR call was made by
Personal Secretary to Justice
Yashwant Varma from mobile number which is
registered in the name of the High Court of Delhi and that the
Personal Secretary to Justice Yashwant Varma was informed
about the fire by one of the servants placed at the residence of
the Hon'ble Judge. It has also been informed that the fire
service was not informed separately, though once PCR was
contacted the information relating to fire was automatically sent
to the Delhi Fire Service. The Commissioner of Police has also
informed that the store room is adjacent to the Guard Room
where Central Reserve Police Force (Battalion 70F) is posted
and that the store room used to be kept locked. I have also been
informed that as per the Security Guard posted at the residence
of the Hon'ble Judge, some debris and half burnt articles were
removed in the morning of 15.3.2025.
On receiving the information from the Commissioner of
Police, Delhi, I instructed Registrar-
cum-Secretary attached with me, to visit the spot.
accordingly, visited the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma
and on reaching there, he called
Private Secretary to Justice Yashwant Varma to come out of the
bungalow. came out and took to Justice
Yashwant Varma who was sitting in his office. Justice
Yashwant Varma, visited the room
where the fire had taken place, which is adjacent to the office.
accordingly, prepared a report and submitted
the same to me. As per the said report, was informed
that the room was being used as a store room to
keep useless articles of household and remain accessible to all
and was not kept locked. In his report, also mentions
that on reaching the spot, he found out that it was complete dark
inside the room and the walls had developed cracks. The report
further mentions that with the help of mobile phones torch
and Justice Yashwant Varma had a look inside
the room and it was found that all the walls had gone black on
account of fire and some material was hanging from the roof
and half burnt articles were lying there, and further that burnt
articles/debris were lying on the floor. ¿ spent about 8-
10 minutes in the room and thereafter came out.
On reaching Delhi in the evening of 16.3.2025, I
immediately went to see your goodself and apprised you of all
that was reported to me. On being instructed by your goodself,
I contacted Justice Verma who met me on 17.3.2025 in the
morning at around 8.30 am at Delhi High Court Guest House
where I am residing presently. Justice Verma responded by
saying that in the room where the fire had broken out, only
unusable household articles like some furniture and mattresses
etc. were kept. He also told that the room was accessible to the
servants, the gardeners and sometimes even to the CPWD
personnels. He also informed me that at the time of the
incident, he was in Bhopal and got the information from his
daughter. Justice Verma further told me that at the moment,
black burnt material (soot) is lying in the room. I thereafter
showed him the photographs and the video on my WhatsApp
which were shared with me by the Commissioner of Police. He
then expressed some apprehension about some conspiracy
against him.
Yesterday, i.e., 20.3.2025, as required by your goodself,
I had sent the photographs, the video and two messages to you
in the morning.
I received a communication from your goodself
yesterday evening intimating the proposal to repatriate Justice
Yashwant Varma to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.
I immediately responded yesterday evening itself and expressed
my view that since the proposal is in the interest of better
administration of justice, I will go with the same.
On examining the incident reported, the material
available and the response of Justice Yashwant Varma, what I
find is that the Commissioner of Police in his report dated
16.3.2025 has reported that as per the guard posted at the
residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, the debris and other
partially burnt articles were removed from the room where the
fire had broken out in the morning of 15.3.2025. The enquiry
conducted by me, prima facie, does not reveal possibility of
entry or access to the room by any person other than those
residing in the bungalow, the servants, the gardeners and
CPWD personnels, if any. Accordingly, I am of the prima faice
opinion that the entire matter warrants a deeper probe.
With warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Hon'ble Mr. Justice Sanjiv Khanna
Chief Justice of India
7, Krishna Menon Marg
New Delhi - 110 011
1. Report submitted by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi to
which was shared
with me on 15.3.2025 on my WhatsApp.
2. A pen drive containing three photographs and a video shared
with me by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi on 15.3.2025
on my WhatsApp.
3. Report dated 16.3.2025 of
Registrar-cum-Secretary attached with me.
4. Another report shared with me by the Commissioner of
Police, Delhi on 16.3.2025 on my WhatsApp.
TE PAINE HE LIE
REPORT
Under directions of Hon'ble the Chief Justice, I visited the official residence
of Hon'ble Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi on
15.3.2025 at around 9.10 pm. On reaching there, I called
Private Secretary to the Hon'ble Judge, who was requested by me to come
to the bungalow. He came out and took me to the Hon'ble Judge who was sitting
in his office. Thereafter, the Hon'ble Judge, and I visited the room,
which is adjacent to the office, where the fire incident took place on 14.3.2025. It
was informed to me by the Private Secretary that the room was being used as a
store room to keep useless articles of the household and remained accessible to all
as it was not kept locked. On reaching there, I found out that it was complete dark
inside the room and the walls had developed cracks. We all took out our mobile
phones and switched on the torch to have a look inside the room. We saw all the
walls were blacked out due to fire and some material was hanging from the roof
and half burnt articles were lying there and burnt articles/debris were lying on the
floor. After spending 8-10 minutes in the room, we all came out.
The report is, accordingly, submitted for kind perusal of Hon'ble the Chief
Justice.
Registrar-cum-Secretary to
Hon'ble the Chief Justice
16.3.2025
HON'BLE THE CHIEF JUSTICE
March 21, 2025
Dear Justice Upadhyaya,
I have received a report today, which refers to oral queries raised and answers given
by Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge of the High Court of Delhi, in terms of the In-
House Procedure.
It may be appropriate if you can highlight the facts recorded and found in the report
and ask Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma to give his response thereto in writing on or before 12:00
noon tomorrow, i.e. March 22, 2025.
In addition, Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma may be asked to provide the following
information:
How does he account for the presence of money/cash in the room located in his
premises?
Explain the source of money/cash which was found in the said room.
Who is the person who had removed the burnt money/cash from the room in the
morning of March 15, 2025?
Please also ascertain the details of the official staff of the High Court Registry, the
personal security officers and the security guards who are posted at the residence of Mr. Justice
Yashwant Varma during the last six months. Request letter may be sent to the Mobile Service
Provider(s) for providing call record details of the official or other mobile phone number(s) of
Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma for the last six months.
Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma may be requested to not dispose of his mobile phone(s)
or delete or modify any conversation, messages or data from his mobile phone(s).
The reply submitted by Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, along with your comments, may
be furnished to me immediately for further action.
Sincerely,
(Sanjiv Khanna)
Hon'ble Mr. Justice D.K. Upadhyaya
Chief Justice
High Court of Delhi
Sher Shah Road
New Delhi
221d March, 2025
Respected Chief Justice of India,
As desired by your goodself vide your
dated 21s March, 2025, I requested Mr.
Justice Yashwant Varma to furnish his response, in writing,
vide my letter dated 21s March, 2025
(copy of which is enclosed).
In response, Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma has submitted
his reply vide his letter dated 22nd March, 2025, which is being
forwarded to your goodself along with this letter.
The details of the staff of the High Court registry deputed
with Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma is also enclosed herewith.
A request letter was sent to the Commissioner of Police,
Delhi for obtaining call details record and IPDR of Justice
Yashwant Varma's mobile phone number for the
last six months, i.e., from 1.9.2024 till date. The call details
record has been received and is being forwarded in a pen drive
along with this letter. As regards IPDR, the same shall be
furnished to you as soon as it is received from the
Commissioner of Police, Delhi/mobile service provider. A
copy of request letter is enclosed herewith.
As regards the details of the Personal Security Officers
and the Security Guards posted at the residence of Mr. Justice
Yashwant Varma during the last six months, i.e., from 1.9.2024
till date, a request has been made to the Deputy Commissioner
of Police (Security) for providing the same. Such details will
also be submitted once they are received. A copy of request
letter is enclosed herewith.
I may also inform that Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma has
also been requested vide my letter dated 21st March, 2025 not
to dispose of his mobile phone(s) and further not to delete or
modify any conversation, messages, or data from his mobile
With warm regards,
Yours sincerely,
Hon'ble Mr. Justice Sanjiv Khanna
Chief Justice of India
7, Krishna Menon Marg
New Delhi - 110 011
1. Copy of my dated 21s March,
2025 sent to Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.
2. Letter, in original, dated 22nd March, 2025 of Mr. Justice
Yashwant Varma.
3. Copy of dated 22rd March, 2025 sent
to the Commissioner of Police, Delhi for providing/
obtaining call details record and IPDR of mobile number
of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.
4. Copy of l ated 22nd March, 2025 sent
to Mr. Shri Sukant Ballabh, Deputy Commissioner of Police
(Security), Bapu Dham, Sardar Patel Marg, New Delhi for
providing details of PSOs and Security Guard posted at the
residence of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.
215t March, 2025
Dear Justice Varma,
The following is brought to your notice for your response:
On 15.3.2025, while I was at Lucknow on account of Holi
vacations, I got a call from Mr. Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of
Police, Delhi at around 4.50 pm informing me about an incident of
fire which broke out on 14.3.2025 at about 11.30 pm in a store room
near the office at your bungalow.
The
Commissioner of Police also shared with me certain photographs
and a video of the site.
On receiving the said information, I instructed
Registrar-cum-Secretary attached with me, to visit the
spot. He, accordingly, visited your residence and also the room
where the fire had broken out, accompanied by you and
, your Private Secretary.
accordingly, prepared a report which has been submitted to me and
as per the said report, was informed by that the
room was being used as a store room to keep useless articles of
household and the room remained accessible to all and was not kept
locked. also mentions in his report that on reaching the
sport, he found out that there was complete dark inside the room and
the walls had developed cracks and that with the help of mobile
phone torch, he along with you and had a look inside the
room and it was found that all the walls had gone black on account
of re and some material was hanging from the roof, and half burnt
articles were lying there and further that burnt articles/debris were
lying on the floor. According to he spent 8-10 minutes in
the room and thereafter came out.
On a further query, the Commissioner of Police reported to
me on 16.3.2025 that PCR call was made by
your Private Secretary from mobile number
which is registered in the name of High Court of Delhi, and that he
was informed about the fire by one of the servants placed at your
residence. He also informed me that the store room is adjacent to
the guard room where Central Reserve Police Force (Battalion 70F)
is posted and that the store room used to be kept locked.
The Commissioner of Police also informed me that as per the
Security Guard posted at your residence, some debris and half burnt
articles were removed in the morning of 15.3.2025.
You met me on 17.3.2025 in the morning at around 8.30 pm
in the Delhi High Court Guest House where I am residing presently.
In my interaction with you, you told me that in the room where the
fire had broken out, only unusable household articles like some
furniture and mattresses etc. were kept, and that the room was
accessible to the servants, gardeners and sometimes even to the
CPWD personnels. I came to know from you in the said meeting
that at the time of the incident, you were in Bhopal and got
information about the fire from your daughter and that at the
moment, black burnt material (soot) is lying in the room. I also
showed you the photographs and the video on my WhatsApp which
was shared with me by the Commissioner of Police. Watching that,
you responded by expressing some apprehension of some
conspiracy. You may note that the Commissioner of Police in his
report dated 16.3.2025 has reported that as per the guard posted at
your residence, the debris and other partially burnt articles were
removed from the room in which the fire had broken out, in the
morning of 15.3.2025.
The reported incident is very disturbing and, therefore, you
are requested to give your response, in writing, on or before 1200
hrs tomorrow, i.e., 22.3.2025.
You are also required to submit the following information:
(a) How do you account for the presence of money/cash in the room
located in your bungalow;
fi
(b) Explain the source of money/cash which was found in the said
room; and
(c) Who is the person who had removed the burnt currency from the
room in the morning of 15.3.2025.
I also request you not to dispose of your mobile phone(s), and
not to delete or modify any conversation, messages, or data from
your mobile phone(s).
You are again requested to furnish your response, in writing,
on or before 1200 hrs tomorrow, i.e., 22.3.2025.
Regards,
Yours sincerely
Hon'ble Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma
Judge, High Cour of Delhi
New Delhi - 110 011
1. Report submitted by the Commissioner of Police, Delbi
which was shared with
me on 15.3.2025 on my WhatsApp.
2. A pen drive containing three photographs and a video shared
with me by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi on 15.3.2025 on
my WhatsApp.
3. Report dated 16.3.2025 of Registrar-
cum-Secretary attached with me.
4. Another report shared with me by the Commissioner of Police,
Delhi on 16.3.2025 on my WhatsApp.
The Hon 'ble Chief Justice 22 March 2025
Delhi High Court
Dear Chief Justice,
Attached is my response to your communication of 21 March 2025. Despite the
limited timeline, I appreciate the imperative of urgency and submit my reply as under.
A fire broke out in the storeroom situated near the staff quarters of my official
residence on the intervening night of 14/15 March 2025. This room was generally
utilised by all and sundry to store articles such as unused furniture, bottles, crockery,
mattresses, used carpets, old speakers, garden implements as well as CPWD material.
This room is unlocked and accessible both from the official front gate as well as the
backdoor of the staff quarters. It is disconnected from the main residence and is
surely not a room in my house as has been portrayed and suggested in the article
which appeared in the Times of India and certain other news reports.
On that date, my wife and I were not in Delhi and travelling in Madhya Pradesh and
it was only my daughter and aged mother who were at home. I returned to Delhi only
on the evening of 15 March 2025 from Bhopal travelling on an Indigo flight with
my wife.
When the fire broke out around midnight, the Fire Service was alerted by my
daughter and my Private Secretary and whose calls would be duly recorded. During
the exercise to douse the fire, all staff and the members of my household were asked
to move away from the scene of the incident in view of safety concerns. After the
fire was doused and when they went back to the scene of the incident, they saw no
cash or currency on site.
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. The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by
us is totally preposterous. 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. It is a room which is completely
disassociated from my living areas and a boundary wall demarcates my living area
from that outhouse. I only wish that the media had conducted some enquiry before I
came to be indicted and defamed in the press.
As stated above, I returned to New Delhi on the evening of 15 March 2025 when I
was apprised of the entire incident. I vividly recollect your first phone call to me on
that evening when you apprised me of having received information of an incident of
arson at my residence. I expressed shock and complete disbelief since till that time I
was led to believe that it was merely a fire caused by a short circuit. I recall my
apprising you of the nature of the premises and the articles which are usually put
away for storage in that room. You had thereafter requested for the PPS to be
permitted to visit the site and to which I had readily agreed. The PPS arrived later
that night and when I, my PS along with the PPS inspected the gutted room, no
currency was either found nor was any cash in any state seen present on site. This
also stands corroborated from the report of which has been provided to me.
Post that inspection and on your instructions, the gutted room remains in that state
even today.
We had then agreed to meet the next day before commencement of Court. It was
during our meeting at the High Court Guesthouse that I was first shown the video
and other photographs which had been shared with you by the Commissioner of
Police. 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.
It also lends credence to my firm belief that the entire incident is part of a sequence
of events which occurred in the recent past including the unfounded allegations that
circulated on social media in December 2024 [which too I had apprised you about
during the course of our meeting] and your first reaction of the incident being that
of arson. It was the lack of knowledge of connection with the purported discovery
of currency is what prompted my reaction in our first interaction in respect of this
episode and when I had alluded to a conspiracy to frame me.
At the cost of repetition, 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. Our cash withdrawals, made from time to time, are all documented and always
through regular banking channels, the use of UPI applications and cards. Insofar as
the allegation of the recovery of cash, I once again make it clear that no one from
my house ever reported seeing any currency in burnt form in the room. In fact, this
gets further corroborated from there being no cash or currency which we saw when
the site was restored to us after the fire personnel and the police had left the scene
quite apart from we being not apprised of any recovery or seizure which was made
on the spot. This may also be viewed in light of the statement of the Chief of the Fire
Service which I have gathered from news reports.
We have, since that fateful night, been continuously trying to find an explanation for
the allegations which are being levelled and with us being required to prove an
allegation which is premised on cash being discovered and the same presumed to
belong to me or my family members. That presumption requires me to not only
furnish an explanation with respect to the existence of an article allegedly present in
a commonly used outhouse and general storeroom which was freely accessible but
also requires me to 'account' for the same.
That takes me to the video clip which has been shared with me. Assuming without
admitting that the video was taken immediately at the time of the incident at the site,
none of it appears to have been recovered or seized. The second aspect which I need
to underscore is that none of the staff was shown any remnants of cash or currency
that may have been present on site. I have made my own enquiries from the staff
present who have also stated that there was no 'removal' of currency which was
allegedly found at the site or removed from the premises. The only thing which was
cleared was debris and what they considered to be salvageable. That is still present
in the house and can be seen kept apart in one part of the residence.
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 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. I request you to bear in mind
that the storeroom is removed from my residence and is used as a general dump room
for disused articles and other sundry household articles. I wonder who would
countenance an allegation that currency would be kept in a storeroom in a corner of
the house and which is frecly accessible from amongst others the back wicker gate
I would beseech you to also bear in consideration that no currency was recovered
from the premises that we actually occupy and use as a family. That part of the
premises is as indicated above removed from the living quarters. It is in the aforesaid
background that I urge you to absolve me of these unfounded and baseless
allegations.
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.
This incident has scarred my reputation built over more than a decade as a Judge of
a High Court, and it has left me with no means to defend myself. I would also
beseech you to bear in consideration that in all my years as a Judge of a High Court,
no such allegation had ever been made in the past nor any doubt cast on my integrity.
In fact, I would be grateful if an enquiry is made with respect to my functioning as
a judge and what is the perception of the legal fraternity with regard to my integrity
and honesty in the discharge of my judicial functioning.
In these circumstances, my response to the queries are as follows: -
Query (a) As already stated, I was never aware of any money or cash lying in the
outhouse storeroom. Neither I nor any of my family members had any knowledge of
cash nor does it have any bearing or relation with me or my family. No such cash or
currency was shown to my family members or staff who were present on that fateful
night.
Query (b) In light of my response above, the question of explaining the source of the
currency does not arise.
Query (c) I also strongly deny and outrightly reject the insinuation, if made, that we
removed currency from the storeroom. As stated above, we were neither shown nor
handed over any sacks of burnt currency. In fact, and as stated above, the limited
debris which was sought to be salvaged continues to exist in one part of the residence.
As stated above, I and along with my wife returned from Bhopal on Indigo Flight
No. 6E 2303 only on the evening of 15 March 2025 Therefore, the question of its
alleged removal is not known to us. In any event none of my staff removed any
article, currency or cash in any form.
Photographs and video as shared by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi,
with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi
Picture 1
Page No. 1/4
Photographs and video as shared by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi,
with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi
Picture 2
Page No. 2/4
Photographs and video as shared by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi,
with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi
Picture 3
Page No. 3/4
Photographs and video as shared by the Commissioner of Police, Delhi,
with the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi
Video
To view/download copy/paste the URL –
[Link]
as-shared-by-the-Commissioner-of-Police-Delhi-with-the-Chief-
Justice-of-the-High-Court-of-
Delhi.mp4?rlkey=xwj8ygs5pwvv8blk79c1380ah&dl=0
Page No. 4/4
