New Delhi, March 23 In a new twist to the ‘cash at judge’s home’ episode, burnt currency notes of Rs 500 denomination were spotted by a sanitation worker on Sunday while sweeping a road outside the 30, Tughlak Road, residence of Justice Yashwant Varma in central Delhi.
The recovery caused a minor flutter in the high-security area which is a stone’s throw from Tughlak Road police station.
The sanitation worker of NDMC who chanced upon the remains of burnt currency notes clicked their photos and informed seniors, who contacted the police.
The recovery of burnt currency notes, in a way, gives credence to the police claim in the ‘Cash at judge’s home’ case that currency notes were burnt in a fire that broke out late on Holi night on March 14 in an outhouse on the premises of Justice Varma’s official residence.
The presence of notes in the outhouse or their burning in the fire has been denied by Justice Varma who has called the entire episode a conspiracy to malign him.
The controversy has prompted Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to order a probe and ask the Delhi High Court chief not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma till the investigation is over.
On Friday, CJI Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry against Justice Varma.
"The Chief Justice of India has constituted a three-member Committee consisting of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the High Court of Punjab and Haryana; Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the High Court of Himachal Pradesh; and Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the High Court of Karnataka, for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting Judge of the High Court of Delhi," said a statement released by the Supreme Court.
The Committee has not been given a time frame to complete its probe and once it submits its report, a decision shall be taken by the CJI if the findings warrant stricter action.
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