Cash-at-home row: In-house committee indicts Justice Yashwant Varma
The three-judge committee constituted to investigate the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash from the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma has indicted the former sitting judge of the Delhi High Court in its report submitted to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.
Sources said that in the wake of indictment, CJI Khanna has called upon Justice Varma, asking him to respond by May 9.
Sources further said that the CJI would give Justice Varma the option to tender his resignation. In case he refused to do so, the in-house committee report would be sent to the President recommending his impeachment.
On March 22, CJI Khanna constituted a three-member committee to initiate an in-house probe into the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash from the official residence of Justice Varma.
The panel comprised Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal High Court Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Karnataka High Court Justice Anu Sivaraman. It started investigations on March 25 and submitted its report to the CJI on May 4.
On March 14, a fire broke out at the official residence of Justice Varma. Firefighters allegedly recovered unaccounted cash worth around Rs 15 crore in the outhouse of the residence. At the time of the incident, Justice Varma and his wife were not in Delhi. Only his daughter and mother were at home.
A video later surfaced showing bundles of cash burning in the fire. The incident led to a huge uproar across the country and allegations of corruption against Justice Varma, who denied the accusations and alleged that it was a conspiracy to frame him.
The video of the burnt cash was shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner with the Chief Justice of the High Court. In an unprecedented development, the Supreme Court made public the video and a preliminary report of the Delhi High Court Chief Justice on the incident, along with Justice Varma’s response.
Justice Varma was repatriated to his parent High Court, the Allahabad High Court, where he recently took oath.
The judicial work of the judge, however, has been temporarily taken away on the instructions of the CJI. The Allahabad High Court Bar Association had earlier gone on strike against Justice Varma’s repatriation.