False flag means "a hostile or harmful action (such as an attack) that is designed to look like it was perpetrated by someone other than the person or group responsible for it."-Merriam-Webster Dictionary, published by an Encyclopaedia Britannica company
सबूत था ही नहीं, दावा हैं कि सबूत जल गया, 25 पन्नों वाली रिपोर्ट में दिल्ली के मुख्य न्यायाधीश ने खुलासा किया कि राख को पुलिस ने हटा दिया.सबूत मिटाना एक अपराध हैं. वो कौन से मुकदमें हैं जिनके लिए जज साहब के चरित्र की हत्या की जा रही हैं. हत्या से ज्यादा कारगर हैं चरित्र की हत्या!
In his reply dated March 22, 2025, Justice Yashwant Varma, a member of the Collegium of the Delhi High Court addressed to the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court wrote: "Dear Chief Justice, Attached is my response to your communication of 21 March 2025. Despite the limited timeline, I appreciate the imperative of urgency and submit my reply as under." It reads: "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. This room was generally utilised by all and sundry to store articles such as unused furniture, bottles, crockery, mattresses, used carpets, old speakers, garden implements as well as CPWD material. This room is unlocked and accessible both from the official front gate as well as the backdoor of the staff quarters. It is disconnected from the main residence and is surely not a room in my house as has been portrayed and suggested in the article which appeared in the Times of India and certain other news reports.
On that date, my wife and I were not in Delhi and travelling in Madhya Pradesh and it was only my daughter and aged mother who were at home. I returned to Delhi only on the evening of 15 March 2025 from Bhopal travelling on an Indigo flight with my wife.
When the fire broke out around midnight, the Fire Service was alerted by my daughter and my Private Secretary and whose calls would be duly recorded. During the exercise to douse the fire, all staff and the members of my household were asked to move away from the scene of the incident in view of safety concerns. After thefire was doused and when they went back to the scene of the incident, they saw no cash or currency on site.
I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members and strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us. The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous. 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.
As stated above, I returned to New Delhi on the evening of 15 March 2025 when I was apprised of the entire incident. I vividly recollect your first phone call to me on that evening when you apprised me of having received information of an incident of arson at my residence. I expressed shock and complete disbelief since till that time I was led to believe that it was merely a fire caused by a short circuit. I recall my apprising you of the nature of the premises and the articles which are usually put away for storage in that room. You had thereafter requested for the PPS to be permitted to visit the site and to which I had readily agreed. The PPS arrived later that night and when I, my PS along with the PPS inspected the gutted room, no currency was either found nor was any cash in any state seen present on site. This also stands corroborated from the report of which has been provided to me. Post that inspection and on your instructions, the gutted room remains in that state even today.
We had then agreed to meet the next day before commencement of Court. It was during our meeting at the High Court Guesthouse that I was first shown the video and other photographs which had been shared with you by the Commissioner of Police. I was totally shocked to see the contents of the video since that depicted something which was not found on site as I had seen it. It was this which prompted me to observe that this clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign me. It also lends credence to my firm belief that the entire incident is part of a sequence of events which occurred in the recent past including the unfounded allegations that circulated on social media in December 2024 which too I had apprised you about during the course of our meeting] and your first reaction of the incident being that of arson. It was the lack of knowledge of connection with the purported discovery of currency is what prompted my reaction in our first interaction in respect of this episode and when I had alluded to a conspiracy to frame me.
At the cost of repetition, I unequivocally state that neither I nor any of my family members had stored or kept any cash or currency in that storeroom at any point of time. Our cash withdrawals, made from time to time, are all documented and always through regular banking channels, the use of UPI applications and cards. Insofar as the allegation of the recovery of cash, I once again make it clear that no one from my house ever reported seeing any currency in burnt form in the room.
In fact, this gets further corroborated from there being no cash or currency which we saw when the site was restored to us after the fire personnel and the police had left the scene quite apart from we being not apprised of any recovery or seizure which was made on the spot. This may also be viewed in light of the statement of the Chief of the Fire Service which I have gathered from news reports.
We have, since that fateful night, been continuously trying to find an explanation for the allegations which are being levelled and with us being required to prove an allegation which is premised on cash being discovered and the same presumed to belong to me or my family members. That presumption requires me to not only furnish an explanation with respect to the existence of an article allegedly present in a commonly used outhouse and general storeroom which was freely accessible but also requires me to 'account' for the same.
That takes me to the video clip which has been shared with me. Assuming without admitting that the video was taken immediately at the time of the incident at the site, none of it appears to have been recovered or seized. The second aspect which I need to underscore is that none of the staff was shown any remnants of cash or currency that may have been present on site. I have made my own enquiries from the staff present who have also stated that there was no 'removal' of currency which was allegedly found at the site or removed from the premises. The only thing which was cleared was debris and what they considered to be salvageable. That is still present in the house and can be seen kept apart in one part of the residence. What baffles me is the complete absence of any sacks of allegedly burnt currency which were ever recovered or seized.
We categorically assert that neither my daughter, PS nor household staff were shown these so-called sacks of burnt currency. I stand by my consistent position that when they accessed the storeroom, there was no currency, burnt or otherwise, which could be seen. I request you to bear in mind that the storeroom is removed from my residence and is used as a general dump room for disused articles and other sundry household articles. I wonder who would countenance an allegation that currency would be kept in a storeroom in a corner of the house and which is freely accessible from amongst others the back wicker gateI would beseech you to also bear in consideration that no currency was recovered from the premises that we actually occupy and use as a family. That part of the premises is as indicated above removed from the living quarters. It is in the aforesaid background that I urge you to absolve me of these unfounded and baseless allegations.
In the life of a judge, nothing matters more than reputation and character. That has been severely tarnished and irreparably damaged. The baseless allegations that have been levelled against me have proceeded on mere innuendos and an unproven assumption that the cash allegedly seen and found belonged to me. 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. In these circumstances, my response to the queries are as follows:-
Query (a) As already stated, 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.
Query (b) In light of my response above, the question of explaining the source of the currency does not arise.Query (c) I also strongly deny and outrightly reject the insinuation, if made, that we removed currency from the storeroom. As stated above, we were neither shown nor handed over any sacks of burnt currency. In fact, and as stated above, the limited debris which was sought to be salvaged continues to exist in one part of the residence.
As stated above, I and along with my wife returned from Bhopal on Indigo Flight No. 6E 2303 only on the evening of 15 March 2025 Therefore, the question of its alleged removal is not known to us. In any event none of my staff removed any article, currency or cash in any form.
Yashwant Varma
Background
At 11.43 PM on March 14, 2025 an "anonymous" Police Control Room (PCR) regarding informed "anonymous" person regarding fire in the dark open store room of 30, Tughlak Crescent Area, Lodhi Estate, New Delhi, the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, a member of the Collegium of the Delhi High Court. On the directions of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya Chief Justice, Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium of the Delhi High Court, Registrar-Cum-Secretary to the Chief Justice High Court visited the the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma on March 15, 2025 at 9.10 PM and along with Justice Varma, he the dark open store room which was on fire who submitted his report on March 16, 2025.
The report of the Chief Justice, Delhi High Court dated March 21, 2025 in this regard was submitted to Justice Sanjiv Khanna, Chief Justice of India. A press release dated March 22, 2025 issued by the Supreme Court of
India has note which reads: "To maintain confidentiality, etc., some
portions and names have been redacted."
After redacting the heading of the report, it reads: "An incident of fire at one of the rooms within the premises of the bungalow occupied by Justice Yashwant Varma was reported to me by Mr. Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi. I deem it appropriate to report the same to your goodself. On 15.3.2025, while I was at Lucknow on account of Holi vacations, at around 4.50 pm, I got a call from Mr. Sanjay Arora, Commissioner of Police, Delhi, informing about an incident of fire which broke out on 14.3.2025 at about 11.30 pm in a store room near the office at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi, which has been allotted to Justice Yashwant Varma."
After redacting some six paragraphs, it further reads:"On receiving the said information from the Commissioner of Police, I spoke to your goodself on 15.3.2025 in the evening itself and on your instructions, I requested the Commissioner of Police, Delhi to find out as to from which source the PCR call was made. I also called for certain other informations from him, in response whereof the Commissioner of Police informed me on 16.3.2025 that PCR call was made by ......Personal Secretary to Justice Yashwant Varma from mobile number.....which is registered in the name of the High Court of Delhi and that the Personal Secretary to Justice Yashwant Varma was informed about the fire by one of the servants placed at the residence of the Hon'ble Judge. It has also been informed that the fire service was not informed separately, though once PCR was contacted the information relating to fire was automatically sent to the Delhi Fire Service. The Commissioner of Police has also informed that the store room is adjacent to the Guard Room where Central Reserve Police Force (Battalion 70F) is posted and that the store room used to be kept locked. I have also been informed that as per the Security Guard posted at the residence of the Hon'ble Judge, some debris and half burnt articles were removed in the morning of 15.3.2025." Notably, page numbers of the report of the Chief Justice, Dehi High Court have been redacted as well.
The report reads:"On reaching Delhi in the evening of 16.3.2025, I immediately went to see your goodself and apprised you of all that was reported to me. On being instructed by your goodself, I contacted Justice Verma who met me on 17.3.2025 in the morning at around 8.30 am at Delhi High Court Guest House where I am residing presently. Justice Verma responded by saying that in the room where the fire had broken out, only unusable household articles like some furniture and mattresses etc. were kept. He also told that the room was accessible to the servants, the gardeners and sometimes even to the CPWD personnels. He also informed me that at the time of the incident, he was in Bhopal and got the information from his daughter. Justice Verma further told me that at the moment, black burnt material (soot) is lying in the room. I thereafter showed him the photographs and the video on my WhatsApp which were shared with me by the Commissioner of Police. He then expressed some apprehension about some conspiracy against him."
Justice Upadhyaya concluded: "Yesterday, i.e., 20.3.2025, as required by your goodself, I had sent the photographs, the video and two messages to you in the morning. I received a communication from your goodself yesterday evening intimating the proposal to repatriate Justice Yashwant Varma to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. I immediately responded yesterday evening itself and expressed my view that since the proposal is in the interest of better administration of justice, I will go with the same.
On examining the incident reported, the material available and the response of Justice Yashwant Varma, what I find is that the Commissioner of Police in his report dated 16.3.2025 has reported that as per the guard posted at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, the debris and other partially burnt articles were removed from the room where the fire had broken out in the morning of 15.3.2025. The enquiry conducted by me, prima facie, does not reveal possibility of entry or access to the room by any person other than thoseresiding in the bungalow, the servants, the gardeners and CPWD personnels, if any. Accordingly, I am of the prima faice opinion that the entire matter warrants a deeper probe."
Justice Yashwant Varma submitted his reply vide his letter dated March 22, 2025. The details of the staff of the High Court registry deputed with Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma has been enclosed with the report. The call details record has been received and is being forwarded in a pen drive along with his letter. The IPDR of Justice Yashwant Varma's mobile phone number for the last six months, i.e., from September 1, 2024 till date is awaited from the Commissioner of Police, Delhi/mobile service provider. The details of the Personal Security Officers and the Security Guards posted at the residence of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma during the last six months, i.e., from 1.9.2024 till date is awaited from the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Security). Justice Yashwant Varma has been requested vide my letter dated 21st March, 2025 not to dispose of his mobile phone(s) and further not to delete or modify any conversation, messages, or data from his mobile.
It is recorded that "The Commissioner of Police in his report dated 16.3.2025 has reported that as per the guard posted at your residence, the debris and other partially burnt articles were removed from the room in which the fire had broken out, in the morning of 15.3.2025."
Why were they removed without probe being complete? It seems to amount to destroying the evidence, which is a criminal offence.
Isn't this false flag operation either aimed at diverting public attention from more pressing issues or aimed at influencing the judge in some cases pending before him or both.
If one has to choose between trusting embedded journalists and news based business enterprises practising yellow journalism and a judge who writes reasoned observations, there is a compelling logic to trust the latter and to consign the former to dust bin.
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