The three-judge inquiry committee constituted to probe the allegations against Justice Yashwant Verma has severely criticised the Delhi Police for being negligent in the matter of recovery of huge amount of cash during a fire incident at his official residence. Despite pointing out this lapse, the committee made it clear that the police's failure does not support Justice Yashwant Verma's defence.

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The committee found that Delhi Police and fire department personnel left the spot without preparing a seizure memo or panchnama after noticing bundles of currency notes in the store room that caught fire.

"The actions of the police and fire personnel can only be termed as negligent," the committee said.

It, however, emphasised that its role was not to assess police procedure. The committee said the presence of cash had been sufficiently established through witness statements and video footage, and hence the exact magnitude of the amount was irrelevant.

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Justice Yashwant Verma had argued that there was no cash stored in the premises and the findings were either incorrect or manipulated. He claimed it was a conspiracy and even questioned the authenticity of the police reports, arguing they were filed by officers who were not present at the spot.

"Justice Yashwant Verma's stand is clear that there was no cash present in the store room… It is his case that this amount was kept as part of a conspiracy," the committee said.

But the committee rejected this argument, holding that "substantial amount of cash was clearly visible in the store room, which was affected by the fire," and Justice Yashwant Verma failed to explain its presence both during his initial statement and the inquiry proceedings.

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The report also recorded that senior police officials had chosen not to register an FIR citing the "sensitivity of the issue" and the fact that Justice Yashwant Verma was not present at his residence at the time of the fire. It also mentioned the legal complexities of initiating a case against a sitting high court judge.

"Senior police officials tried to make it clear… that they chose not to initiate any investigation or register an FIR because of the sensitivity of the issue," the committee said, citing statements.

Despite recognising procedural lapses in the police and fire services, the committee made it clear that these deficiencies had no bearing on the main findings of the investigation. Justice Yashwant Verma's attempt to challenge the credibility of the evidence was dismissed as ineffective, as the apparent presence of cash could not be explained.

Justice Yashwant Verma Related Article:

1. Probe Panel Finds Justice Yashwant Verma's Conduct After Fire Incident 'Unnatural', Dismisses Conspiracy Theory
2. Supreme Court Rejects RTI Request for In-House Inquiry Report and CJI's Letter on Justice Yashwant Verma
3. Justice Yashwant Verma Inquiry: Delhi HC Chief Justice Initiates Probe; Supreme Court Clarifies Transfer Proposal
4. Supreme Court Clarifies on Justice Yashwant Verma Issue Amid Delhi HC Inquiry