The Supreme Court has initiated an inquiry into the cash recovery case associated with Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. This action follows reports of cash being discovered at his official residence after a fire incident earlier this month.
A three-member committee, appointed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, began its probe on Tuesday.
The committee comprises Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court.
As part of their investigation, the judges visited Justice Varma's official bungalow at 30, Tughlak Crescent in Delhi, spending around 30 to 35 minutes inspecting the premises.
The controversy began after a fire broke out in the storeroom of Justice Varma's residence on March 14. Firefighters and police personnel, who arrived at the scene to control the blaze, reportedly found "four to five semi-burnt sacks" of Indian currency notes.
Following these reports, the Supreme Court took swift action, setting up the inquiry committee on March 22 to examine the circumstances surrounding the discovery.
Justice Varma, however, has categorically denied the allegations. In his response to Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya, he asserted that neither he nor any of his family members had placed any cash in the storeroom.
He described the accusations as part of a conspiracy to damage his reputation. Justice Varma expressed deep disappointment over what he termed an attempt to malign him unfairly.
Amid the controversy, the Supreme Court collegium, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna and comprising Justices Bhushan R. Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S. Oka, and Vikram Nath, passed a resolution to repatriate Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court.
This decision came shortly after the Delhi High Court Chief Justice withdrew Justice Varma from all judicial duties and reassigned his pending cases to another bench.
The allegations and the subsequent investigation have raised significant concerns within the judiciary. The collegium had reportedly deliberated on this matter last Thursday, even before the issue was made public.
On Monday morning, the Delhi High Court issued a circular stating, "In view of the recent events, the judicial work from Hon’ble Mr. Yashwant Varma is withdrawn with immediate effect till further orders."
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