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Justice Yashwant Varma has responded to allegations linked to the Cash for Judge row, firmly denying any association with the money reportedly found in the storeroom near his official residence. He clarified that the storeroom, where the cash was allegedly discovered, was not a part of his house but a commonly accessible storage area.
“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,” Justice Varma stated. He explained that this space was used for storing “unused furniture, bottles, crockery, mattresses, used carpets, old speakers, garden implements as well as CPWD material” and was “unlocked and accessible both from the official front gate as well as the backdoor of the staff quarters.”
Rejecting claims that the money belonged to him, Justice Varma called the idea “totally preposterous.” He said, “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”.
Providing an alibi, Justice Varma stated that he and his wife were not in Delhi at the time of the incident. “On that date, my wife and I were not in Delhi and travelling in Madhya Pradesh… I returned to Delhi only on the evening of 15 March 2025 from Bhopal travelling on an Indigo flight with my wife.”
Justice Varma denied allegations
Addressing allegations of any potential tampering or removal of cash, he categorically denied them. “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”.
He further dismissed claims that he or his staff might have removed the money, saying, “I also strongly deny and outrightly reject the insinuation… In fact, and as stated above, the limited debris which was sought to be salvaged continues to exist in one part of the residence.”
The controversy surrounding the alleged discovery of cash continues to raise questions, but Justice Varma has maintained that neither he nor his family had any role in the matter. The authorities are yet to provide further clarity on the origins of the cash and its potential links to any case.
“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.” he said in the statement.
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