Justice Yashwant Varma has been indicted by an in-house panel after crores in cash were allegedly found at his home. “If he resigns, it is good,” said a top source on possible impeachment.
New Delhi: An inquiry into allegations of cash found at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence has concluded, with the committee submitting a report to Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna that reportedly indicts the judge.
Sources familiar with the matter suggest Justice Varma faces pressure to resign. Should he decline, the report may be forwarded to the President with a recommendation for impeachment.
The source told,
“Report has indicted him. As per procedure, the CJI has called upon him. The first option given to him is to resign. If he resigns, it is good. If he does not, then the report will be sent to the President recommending impeachment,”
Justice Varma has reportedly been given until Friday, May 9th, to respond to the CJI.
The investigative committee, assembled by CJI Khanna, included Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia of the Himachal High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court.
The panel commenced its investigation on March 25th and presented its findings to CJI Khanna on May 4th.
On the evening of March 14th, a fire erupted at Justice Varma’s Delhi residence. While Justice Varma and his wife were traveling in Madhya Pradesh, his daughter and elderly mother were present when the fire broke out. Firefighters responding to the scene reportedly discovered a substantial amount of unaccounted cash.
A video subsequently emerged depicting bundles of currency engulfed in flames, sparking allegations of corruption against Justice Varma. He refuted these accusations, suggesting a conspiracy to discredit him.
In response, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) launched an internal investigation, forming a three-member committee on March 22nd to conduct an inquiry.
The Delhi Police Commissioner shared the video of the burnt cash with the Chief Justice of the High Court. The Supreme Court later released the video to the public. In an unusual move, the Supreme Court also published a report from the Delhi High Court Chief Justice concerning the incident, along with Justice Varma’s reply.
The Supreme Court Collegium’s decision to transfer Justice Varma amid this controversy faced significant opposition from lawyers’ associations in Uttar Pradesh. However, the Central government approved the transfer on March 28.
The Central Government announced the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court back to his original position at the Allahabad High Court.
This decision followed a recommendation from the Supreme Court Collegium made on March 24.
Additionally, The Supreme Court of India directed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial responsibilities to Justice Yashwant Varma.
A fire broke out at Justice Varma’s home on the evening of March 14, during which unaccounted cash was inadvertently found by firefighters.
A video depicting the recovery of the burnt cash was reportedly shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner with the Chief Justice of the High Court.
At the time of the incident, Justice Varma and his wife were traveling in Madhya Pradesh, leaving only their daughter and elderly mother at home. On March 21, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) initiated an internal investigation into the allegations, appointing a three-member committee to carry out the inquiry.
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