In a recent development, Justice Yashwant Varma of the Supreme Court convened with a team of high-profile lawyers as part of preparations for his upcoming deposition before an in-house inquiry committee. This committee was established following the controversial discovery of cash at his residence.
The team advising Justice Varma includes Senior Advocates Siddharth Agarwal, Arundhati Katju, and advocates Tara Narula, Stuti Gujral, among others. They visited his residence twice this week to discuss the strategy for his deposition.
The inquiry committee is composed of Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. The committee is currently in Delhi and plans to meet with Justice Varma multiple times.
A source close to the proceedings mentioned, “These proceedings are troublesome. This is a precursor to impeachment and a possible criminal prosecution.” The consultation with legal experts suggests Justice Varma is meticulously preparing his statements for the inquiry, which are crucial for the direction of future legal actions.
The incident that triggered the inquiry occurred on March 14, when a fire at Justice Varma’s residence led to the inadvertent discovery of unaccounted cash, as reported by the Times of India. This discovery spurred allegations of corruption against him, which he has consistently denied, suggesting a conspiracy to tarnish his reputation.
Following these events, the Chief Justice of India set up a three-member committee on March 22 to thoroughly investigate the allegations. Further adding to the transparency of the process, a video of the cash recovery was shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner and has been made available on the Supreme Court’s website.
Moreover, the Supreme Court published a detailed report by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on the incident, including Justice Varma’s response to the allegations.
In a related move, the Supreme Court Collegium has recommended that Justice Varma be repatriated to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court, a decision still pending approval from the Central government. This case continues to unfold, with significant implications for the judiciary and Justice Varma’s career.
