'Gandhi Mein Aag Lag Rahi Hai Bhai’: What Fireman Said Seeing Burning Cash At Justice Varma's Home

New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court collegium’s decision to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma faced criticism, a report submitted by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya regarding the recovery of unaccounted cash at Justice Varma’s official residence was uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website on Saturday night.

A video accessed by Republic shows heaps of burnt cash inside Justice Varma’s house on March 14. The footage captures firemen wading through charred notes after extinguishing the blaze.

As they surveyed the scene, one of the firemen was heard saying, “Gandhi Mein Aag Lag Rahi Hai Bhai,” referring to Mahatma Gandhi’s image on the burning currency notes. The firemen can also be seen removing the burnt cash after dousing the flames.

Justice Yashwant Varma Denies Allegations of Cash Recovery

The Supreme Court released an inquiry report filed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya regarding the controversy surrounding Justice Yashwant Varma. In his report, Chief Justice Upadhyaya expressed a prima facie opinion that the matter warrants a deeper investigation.

The Supreme Court also published Justice Varma’s response, in which he refuted the allegations, claiming that the incident appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and defame him. He firmly denied that he or his family had ever placed any cash in the storeroom, where the fire broke out. He also dismissed the notion that the allegedly recovered cash belonged to them, clarifying that the room in question was an outhouse, not the main residence where he and his family live.

“What baffles me is the complete absence of any sacks of allegedly burnt currency that 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,” Justice Varma stated in his response.

Justice Varma also emphasized that there was no removal of cash from the premises.

“My staff present at the scene stated that there was no ‘removal’ of currency allegedly found at the site or taken from the premises,” he said.

Calling the idea of cash being stored at his house “preposterous,” he added: “The very suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally absurd. The claim 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.”

The Supreme Court has constituted a three-member committee to investigate the matter an in-depth in-house inquiry. 

The panel members are Justice Sheel Nagu (Chief Justice, Punjab & Haryana High Court), Justice GS Sandhawalia (Chief Justice, Himachal Pradesh High Court) and Justice Anu Sivaraman (Judge, Karnataka High Court).