A fire at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma has led to the recovery of a massive pile of cash, triggering shockwaves within judicial circles_
There was a fire at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma on March 14, exposing a huge amount of money that left the legal team amazed.
Following the incident, the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, on March 20, decided to shift him to the Allahabad High Court.
Justice Varma was out of station during the time of the fire and his family requested the police and the fire department to assist them.
Once the fire was put out, the authorities found a substantial amount of money in one of the rooms. The police noted the finding and reported it to the higher authorities, who informed the CJI. On the basis of this disclosure, CJI Khanna summoned an emergency collegium meeting to look at the issue.
The collegium decided to shift Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court, where he was originally posted before being posted in the Delhi High Court in 2021.
But some members of the collegium thought that shifting him was not sufficient considering the gravity of the case.
They warned that if action were not taken more decisively, it could undermine the judiciary's image and erode public confidence.
Reports say that Justice Varma was requested to resign on a voluntary basis. If he refused, some members of the collegium suggested initiating an internal inquiry, which may culminate in impeachment proceedings in Parliament. Under the 1999 Supreme Court guidelines for handling allegations of corruption against judges, the CJI has to first call for an explanation from the judge. If the response is not considered to be satisfactory, a panel of two Chief Justices of the High Courts can be constituted to make a more detailed inquiry.
