Today, On 21st July, During Supreme Court hearing, CJI BR Gavai slammed Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara for repeatedly calling Justice Yashwant Varma just “Varma,” saying, “Is he your friend? He is still Justice Varma,” demanding courtroom decorum and respect.
A heated exchange occurred in the Supreme Court on Monday when Chief Justice of India BR Gavai slammed Advocate Mathews J Nedumpara for repeatedly referring to Justice Yashwant Varma merely as “Varma” during the proceedings.
Nedumpara was seeking urgent listing for his writ petition, which calls for the registration of an FIR against Justice Varma, who is currently involved in a controversy following the discovery of cash at his official residence.
This marked Nedumpara’s third petition on the matter.
As Nedumpara argued,
“Now Varma seems to be asking for that only. There has to be an FIR, an investigation,”
CJI Gavai interjected firmly, saying,
“Is he your friend? He is still Justice Varma. How do you address him? Have some decorum. You are referring to a learned judge. He is still a judge of the Court.”
Nedumpara countered,
“I don’t think that greatness can apply to him. Matter has to be listed.”
In response, CJI Gavai stated ,
“Don’t dictate to the Court.”
Nedumpara’s initial writ petition, submitted in March, was dismissed by the Supreme Court, which observed that an in-house inquiry was ongoing. He subsequently filed another petition after the then CJI Sanjiv Khanna forwarded the inquiry report to the President and Prime Minister.
In May, the Court disposed of that petition as well, advising Nedumpara to first approach the Central Government regarding the FIR.
Earlier, Justice Yashwant Varma moved the Supreme Court challenging a report of a three-judge panel that found him guilty in connection with the discovery of unaccounted cash at his residence. While the Union government is reportedly preparing to begin the impeachment process, the Union Law Minister’s statement aims to make it clear that the government is not playing an active role in either the impeachment move or the legal challenge filed by the judge.
The committee, which included Chief Justice Sheel Nagu from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia from the Himachal High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman from the Karnataka High Court, investigated the allegations related to the discovery of cash at Justice Varma’s residence.
They commenced their investigation on March 25 and completed the report by May 3, which was subsequently submitted to then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna on May 4.
The report found the judge culpable, leading the CJI to forward it to the President while recommending Justice Varma’s impeachment.
Following this, he was transferred back to the Allahabad High Court, and an inquiry initiated by Khanna found him culpable.
After Varma refused to resign, Khanna referred the matter to the President and the Prime Minister.
The committee determined, based on forensic and electronic evidence, that the currency was secretly removed in the early hours of March 15, just prior to the matter becoming public.
A fire broke out at Justice Varma’s home on the evening of March 14, during which unaccounted cash was inadvertently found by firefighters.
Also Read: Plea in Allahabad High Court: ‘Withhold Oath of Justice Yashwant Varma’
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.