New Delhi: President of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, Senior Advocate Mohit Mathur, defended Justice Yashwant Varma on Sunday in light of the recent discovery of cash from his residence in the national capital and the Supreme Court's release of reports on the matter.
Speaking to ANI, Mathur stated, "I often say that bar associations act as the judges of judges. As the President of the Delhi High Court Bar Association, I can affirm that I have never received a single complaint against Justice Varma from any lawyer. He is, without a doubt, one of the finest judges of the Delhi High Court."
However, he acknowledged the seriousness of the allegations and evidence currently circulating in the public domain.
"The allegations and evidence now circulating in the public domain are indeed very serious. Given the ambiguity of the video clip, it would be premature to draw any conclusions," Mathur said.
Mathur emphasized the importance of a thorough investigation into the matter.
"This matter warrants a thorough investigation, and the Supreme Court has already constituted a committee to address it and is actively taking decisions. We must place our trust in the process and respect its course," he said.
The Supreme Court 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.
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.
