New Delhi [India], March 24 : Congress MPs Manickam Tagore and Renuka Chowdhury on Monday gave Adjournment Motion notices in Parliament demanding a discussion on the Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma who is facing a probe over cash allegedly recovered from his residence.
In their notice, they urged that the government must provide an explanation and assurances regarding the matter. "It is essential that this issue is thoroughly discussed and the truth be laid bare for the people of India," the notice further reads.
This came after a fire at the residence of a Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma inadvertently led to the discovery of a large amount of cash. The cash was found initially by fire tenders when a fire broke out in the judge's residence on March 14. While, the judge was not present at his house.
Earlier, sanitation workers have said they found burnt pieces of currency notes near the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma is facing a probe over cash allegedly recovered from his residence.
"We work in this circle. We collect garbage from the roads. We were cleaning here 4-5 days back and collecting garbage when we found some small pieces of burnt Rs 500 note. We found it that day. Now, we have found 1-2 pieces...We do not know where a fire broke out," Inderjeet, a sanitation worker, told ANI.
Meanwhile, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Saturday constituted a three-member committee consisting of Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Karnataka High Court Judge, Justice Anu Sivaraman to conduct an inquiry into the allegations.
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 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.
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.