Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya has submitted a report to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna regarding the alleged discovery of a substantial amount of cash at the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma. The submission, made on Friday, follows an in-house enquiry initiated by Justice Upadhyaya to collect evidence and information about the incident, which has sparked significant controversy within judicial circles.

The episode unfolded on March 14, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s Lutyens Delhi residence around 11:35 p.m. on Holi night. Delhi Fire Department personnel, dispatched to extinguish the blaze, reportedly stumbled upon a large stash of cash, triggering scrutiny. The Supreme Court Collegium, led by CJI Khanna, is now set to review Justice Upadhyaya’s report and determine further action.

In a statement issued Friday, the Supreme Court clarified that “misinformation and rumours” had circulated about the incident. It emphasized that Justice Upadhyaya had launched the enquiry before the Collegium’s March 20 meeting and that the proposal to transfer Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court was a separate matter. “The proposal for transfer… is independent and separate from the in-house enquiry procedure,” the statement noted.

The transfer proposal was deliberated by the Collegium—comprising the CJI and the four senior-most Supreme Court judges—on March 20. Letters were subsequently sent to consultee Supreme Court judges, the chief justices of the concerned high courts, and Justice Varma himself. “Responses received will be examined, and thereupon, the Collegium will pass a resolution,” the apex court added.

As the judicial system grapples with the fallout, the Collegium’s next steps could set a precedent for addressing such incidents, balancing transparency and judicial integrity amid public and legal scrutiny.