The alleged cash discovery happened on March 14 after a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s residence around 11:35 PM. Firefighters arrived at the scene and controlled the blaze.
New Delhi: 25th March, A three-member committee, appointed by the Supreme Court, has started an inquiry into the alleged discovery of cash at the official residence of Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma. The committee members reached his residence on Tuesday and carried out an inspection, sources said.
Committee Members Visit Justice Varma’s Residence
The inquiry panel consists of three senior judges:
- Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court
- Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court
- Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge of the Karnataka High Court
These judges visited Justice Varma’s official residence at 30, Tughlak Crescent, New Delhi. They stayed inside for about 30-35 minutes, reportedly inspecting the site, sources added.
A three-member committee, formed as part of an in-house probe initiated by the Chief Justice of India (CJI), visited the residence of Justice Varma around 1 PM and remained there for approximately 45 minutes.
The probe was triggered by a fire at Justice Varma’s house on the evening of March 14, during which firefighters inadvertently discovered unaccounted cash, as reported by the Times of India.
At the time of the incident, Justice Varma and his wife were traveling in Madhya Pradesh, while only his daughter and elderly mother were present at home. Allegations of corruption surfaced following the discovery, but Justice Varma has refuted the claims, asserting that the incident appears to be a conspiracy to frame him.
The Delhi Police Commissioner reportedly shared a video of the burnt cash recovery with the Chief Justice of the High Court, and the Supreme Court has since uploaded it on its website. Additionally, the Supreme Court has published a report from the Delhi High Court Chief Justice on the matter, along with Justice Varma’s response.
ALSO READ: Justice Yashwant Varma Denies Cash Stash Seen In Video: “Conspiracy To Frame Me”
On March 22, Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna set up a three-member panel to conduct an in-house probe into the allegations against Justice Varma.
Justice Yashwant Varma has strongly denied all allegations. In his official response to Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya, he stated:
“No cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by me or any of my family members.”
He further added that the allegations appear to be an attempt to falsely implicate him and damage his reputation.
“The allegations of cash discovery at my residence clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign me.”
The Supreme Court’s in-house committee is now looking into the matter to determine the facts. The inspection of Justice Varma’s residence is a crucial step in the inquiry process. The findings of the committee will be submitted to the Supreme Court for further action.
With recent updates, The lawyers of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association have announced an indefinite strike starting from March 25.
This protest is against the proposed transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court. A senior office bearer of the association confirmed this development on Monday.
Bar Association President Anil Tiwari said, “Lawyers of the High Court Bar Association, Allahabad will go on an indefinite strike from Tuesday following Justice Yashwant Varma’s transfer to Allahabad High Court.”
He further mentioned that they are also reaching out to bar associations in Lucknow regarding this matter.
“We are sending a request to the Bar Associations in Lucknow in this regard,” he added.
The Supreme Court collegium on Monday reaffirmed its recommendation to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court. Justice Varma is currently under investigation after a large amount of cash was allegedly found at his official residence. Following this, his judicial work was withdrawn.
The Allahabad High Court Bar Association strongly opposes his transfer and has demanded a thorough review of his past judgments. They believe that an inquiry should be conducted before relocating him.
“The bar association has also demanded the scrutiny of judgments of Justice Varma, subjected to an enquiry over the alleged discovery of huge cash from his residential home, and opposed his proposed repatriation.”
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