TOP STORY/ Judge Burning Cash Scam: Critical Fire Report Indicates Large Cash Stash Passed Off as ‘Stationery’

New Delhi: As India’s biggest judicial corruption scandal has sent shockwaves across the country, legal circles are also questioning why the initial fire report did not declare the amount of the burning cash and only attempted to whitewash critical details of the case. Republic has accessed the official fire report from March 14, 2025, when huge cash was recovered from Justice Yashwant Varma's bungalow, and shockingly, it makes no mention of the massive cash haul recovered. 

Instead, the first fire document merely states that the fire involved "stationery and domestic articles in a store room" and notes that no casualties were reported. The controversy surrounding Justice Yashwant Varma, appointed to the Delhi High Court in 2021, erupted during Holi last week, when a fire broke out at his Delhi bungalow.

Firefighters responding to the incident stumbled upon a stash of cash hidden at the premises. The police were subsequently alerted, and as we now know, the Supreme Court collegium-led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna ordered Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court. 

No Mention of Cash in The Critical Fire Report

The report, exclusively accessed by Republic, raises serious concerns over a cover-up, as it omits any reference to the cash stash — allegedly worth over ₹10 crore — recovered by firefighters.

"Fire was in stationary and domestic articles in a store room and no casualty involved", the critical fire report read.  The omission has further deepened suspicions regarding the integrity of the investigation and the role of officials involved.

Talking to Republic over the alleged cover-up, senior Advocate Satish Maneshinde said,"The Fire Department should have noted every single thing which was discovered. It indicates that a lot of pressure was brought on the fire department ".  

On the other hand, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court and King’s Counsel, UK, Harish Salve once again delivered a scathing critique of the collegium system, calling it deeply flawed.  When asked about his initial observations and whether the collegium made the right decision in recommending Justice Varma's transfer, Salve, speaking to Arnab said, "I have been a trenchant critic of the collegium system, and this exposes yet another strong fault line in this whole construct by which the entire judiciary is administered," Salve asserted, as India grapples with its biggest judicial corruption scandal. 

 Meanwhile, the Supreme Court collegium launched an in-house inquiry into Justice Yashwant Verma. 

10 Cr Cash Stack Row | What We Know

A large amount of unaccounted cash was found following a fire at Justice Yashwant Verma’s residence on March 14. At the time of the incident, Justice Verma and his wife were in Bhopal, while their daughter and household staff alerted the fire department.

Upon arrival, firefighters and police uncovered a stash of cash hidden in his outhouse.

Once the fire was extinguished, bundles of cash were officially documented, and the police were immediately informed. The matter was escalated to the highest levels of the judiciary and the government, triggering widespread scrutiny.

Justice Verma, who has served as a Delhi High Court judge since October 2021, now faces an uncertain future as the Supreme Court Collegium recommends his transfer amid the controversy. The recommendations have been sent to the Central government for further action.