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The Supreme Court has released the inquiry report filed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay into the controversy involving High Court Justice Yashwant Varma.
The Supreme Court has released the inquiry report filed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay into the controversy involving High Court Justice Yashwant Varma, as per a press release by the Supreme Court. In his report, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice said that he is of the prima facie opinion that the entire matter warrants a deeper probe.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has constituted a three-member committee under the internal inquiry process to investigate the allegations against Justice Verma. This committee includes Chief Justice Shiel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Judge Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court.
After receiving the report, the CJI ordered an internal inquiry by DK Upadhyay, and directed Justice Verma to be kept away from any judicial work. This means that along with the investigation against Justice Verma, his judicial work will also be temporarily suspended.
The Supreme Court uploaded the entire investigation report on its website on Saturday night regarding the alleged recovery of a large amount of cash from Justice Verma's residence. This report also includes videos and photos taken during the fire extinguishing operation on the night of Holi at Justice Verma's residence, when the cash was found.
| The Supreme Court released the inquiry report filed by Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya into the controversy relating to High Court Justice Yashwant Varma. In his report, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice said that he is of the prima facie opinion… pic.twitter.com/1xgMh8xWNW
— ANI (@ANI)The 25-page investigation report submitted by Justice Upadhyay mentions that four to five half-burnt piles of Indian currency were found. Upon examining the available material and Justice Verma's response to the incident report, it was found that the Police Commissioner submitted his report on March 16, stating that the guard stationed at Justice Verma's residence had reported that debris and other partially burnt items had been removed from the room where the fire broke out on the morning of March 15.
According to the press release, "The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Verma for the time being. The report submitted by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Yashwant Verma's response, and other documents are being uploaded on the Supreme Court's website."
The Supreme Court also released the response of Justice Yashwant Varma, who has denied the allegations and said that it clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign him.
Justice Varma stated that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by him or any of his family members, and he said he strongly denounced the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to them.
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The room which caught fire and where cash was allegedly found was an outhouse and not the main building where the judge and family reside, he stated.
The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, instructed Justice Yashwant Varma to preserve all communication on his phone while acting on the directive of the Chief Justice of India (CJI); this included conversations, messages, and data, as the controversy surrounding him continued to unfold.
Justice Varma, in a statement to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay, refuted the allegations implicating him in the cash recovery incident.
According to media reports, a fire at the judge's house inadvertently led to the firefighters' recovery of cash. The cash was found initially by fire tenders when a fire broke out in the judge's residence on March 14. The judge was not present at his house.
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