Supreme Court Seeks Report On Cash Recovery From Justice Yashwant Varma, Say Sources

The Supreme Court has sought a report from Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya on the discovery of a large amount of cash at Justice Yashwant Sharma's residence during a fire.

The Supreme Court will decide on the next move in the case after the Delhi HC Chief Justice submits his report.

Source : PTI

The Supreme Court has asked Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya to submit a report on the discovery of a large amount of cash from Justice Yashwant Sharma, sources said.

Highly placed sources at the Supreme Court have, however, denied that 'in-house inquiry' was ordered against Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. According to the information received by ABP News, the collegium headed by the Chief Justice of India is gathering information related to the case. After this, a decision will be taken regarding the next step.

What Is The Case Against Justice Yashwant Varma?

The Supreme Court collegium recommended the transfer of Justice Yashwant Verma of Delhi High Court to Allahabad High Court. Although this recommendation has not been uploaded on the Supreme Court website yet, an official privy to the developments has confirmed it. A large amount of cash was found during a firefighting operation at Justice Varma's house. Taking the matter seriously, the Collegium recommended his transfer.

The transfer is just a preliminary action. "This was considered necessary to maintain people's faith in the judiciary. Justice Varma is third in the seniority list at the Delhi High Court. As such, he is a member of the Delhi High Court collegium. His presence could have affected the functioning of the collegium," an official said.

Further Action Being Considered

After the matter came to light, Supreme Court Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna and four senior-most judges discussed the case with other judges. All of them said they would back any step taken by the collegium. Further action will be considered after the investigation.

What Is 'In-House Inquiry'?

Sources said that no decision has been taken on seeking resignation from Justice Varma or the formation of an 'in-house inquiry' committee against him. The 'in-house inquiry' committee is the first step in the process of removing a judge from his post.

This committee consists of one Supreme Court judge and two High Court Chief Justices. If they find the judge guilty in the investigation, the panel's report is sent to Parliament. After this, a proposal to remove the judge from his post is introduced.