New Delhi: A police team on Wednesday visited the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, who was recently removed from judicial work at the Delhi High Court following the recovery of a large stash of cash from his official residence after a fire incident.

The team, led by DCP (New Delhi) Devesh Mahla, reached the 30 Tughlak Crescent bungalow around 1.30 pm and stayed for nearly two hours, examining the premises and reviewing CCTV footage from the day of the incident, The Indian Express reported.

According to the report, ACP Tughlak Road Virender Jain and two head constables were part of the team. They inspected the store room where the fire broke out and the lawn where charred items were found. The police recorded videos of the premises, which had been preserved in the presence of a court official.

A senior police officer said the team spoke with Justice Varma’s family members and staff, including his personal assistant, who had first alerted the police about the fire on March 14.

Sources informed TIE that after the fire, a daily diary entry was made at the Tughlak Road police station. However, the next morning, police were reportedly denied entry into the residence by Varma’s security staff.

Preliminary investigation suggests that the fire may have been caused by a short circuit. The police are awaiting reports from the power department and forensic experts to ascertain the exact cause.

Earlier this week, the Delhi High Court announced the withdrawal of judicial work from Justice Varma with immediate effect till further orders, following the recovery of cash from his residence. The announcement was made through an official note issued by the court, as reported by PTI.

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New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Tuesday claimed that TVK chief Vijay has sought its support for government formation in Tamil Nadu and its leadership has directed the state unit to take a final decision on the matter, keeping in view the state's sentiments.

The party, which fought the assembly election in alliance with the DMK, asserted that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government and that it is determined "not to have the BJP and its proxies run the government of Tamil Nadu in any manner".

Top Congress leaders held a meeting at party chief Mallikarjun Kharge's residence on Tuesday evening that was attended by Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Tamil Nadu in-charge Girish Chodankar, among others.

Addressing the media after the meeting, Congress general secretary, Organisation, K C Venugopal said the Congress leadership discussed the post-election scenario in Tamil Nadu.

"TVK President Thiru Vijay has requested the Indian National Congress for support to form a Government in Tamil Nadu. He has spoken about drawing inspiration from Perumthalaivar Kamaraj as well, in his political mission.

"The INC is clear that the mandate in Tamil Nadu is for a secular government that is committed to protecting the Constitution in letter and spirit. The INC is determined not to have the BJP and its proxies run the Government of Tamil Nadu in any manner," he said.

"Accordingly, the Congress leadership has directed the TNCC to take a final decision on Thiru Vijay's request, keeping in view the sentiments of the state reflected in the electoral verdict," Venugopal told reporters.

Vijay's TVK won 108 seats in the 234-member Tamil Nadu Assembly, falling short of the halfway mark. He needs the support of 10 MLAs to form a government with a simple majority. The results were declared only on Monday.

The Congress has won five seats, while the Pattali Makkal Katchi (PMK) has bagged four seats. The CPI and CPI-M have two seats each.

On the other hand, the Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) has won 59 seats while the All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) has won 47 seats.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has won only one seat and so have the Desiya Murpokku Dravida Kazhagam (DMDK) and the Amma Makkal Munnettra Kazagam (AMMK), while the VCK has won two seats.

The Congress had fought the assembly polls in a pre-poll alliance with the DMK, while the BJP had a tie-up with the AIADMK.