Yashwant Varma inquiry panel visits ‘cash-burning’ site

NEW DELHI: The three-member judicial inquiry panel, appointed by CJI Sanjiv Khanna to inquire into the alleged discovery of huge amounts of cash at Justice Yashwant Varma’s official residence on March 14, visited the judge’s Tughlaq Crescent bungalow Tuesday afternoon and spent nearly 45 minutes there.

Sources said the panel — comprising Punjab & Haryana HC Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal HC CJ G S Sandhawalia and Karnataka HC’s Justice Anu Srinivasan — inspected the room which, according to the police video, was the place where piles of cash were seen smouldering and looked for features to match the physical appearance of the room with that shown in the video.
The panel has identified those who would be called to record statements, including the Delhi fire department chief whose initial “no cash was found at the judge’s residence” statement was cited by Justice Varma in his explanation to Delhi HC Chief Justice D K Upadhyay. The fire chief had subsequently denied making any such statement.

Besides Justice Varma, the prime witnesses who will be examined by the panel are the first responders to the distress call about the fire in the outhouse storeroom of the judge’s residence on the night of March 14. Among these responders are firefighters from Safdarjung fire station and police personnel from Tughlaq Road PS.

As per the fire report details dated March 21, Safdarjung fire station received a call about the fire at the judge’s residence at 11.35pm on March 14 and firefighters arrived at the site at 11.43pm. They left the place after two hours, at 1.56 am. Delhi police commissioner Sanjay Arora had informed Justice Upadhyay, who was in Lucknow, about cash being burned at Justice Varma’s residence around 4.50pm on March 15 and shared photographs and video of the incident. The police chief also informed Justice Upadhyay that as per the guards posted at Justice Varma’s residence, “some debris and half burnt articles were removed in the morning of March 15”. HC staff, including personal assistants, attached to Justice Varma’s residence will also be questioned by the inquiry panel to understand the nature of the fire and the presence of cash. A critical part of the inquiry will be to examine call data records of Justice Varma for the last six months. He has been told not to delete any information from his phone(s).