A three-judge in-house committee of the Supreme Court, constituted to probe allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court at the time of the controversy, has reportedly found the allegations against him to be credible, The Wire has reported.
The panel was formed on March 22 by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna under the in-house procedure adopted by the Supreme Court in 1999. It comprised Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaram of the Karnataka High Court.
The inquiry pertains to a fire incident at Justice Varma’s official residence, during which burnt currency notes were reportedly recovered from a storehouse on the premises. In an unprecedented act of transparency, Chief Justice Khanna, who is scheduled to retire on May 13, has also decided to make public the report submitted by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya, which includes Justice Varma’s written response to the allegations.
According to The Wire, sources have indicated that CJI Khanna, after reviewing the committee’s findings and consulting senior judges of the apex court, may ask Justice Varma to resign. Following the formation of the committee, Justice Varma was transferred to his parent High Court in Allahabad and has not been assigned any judicial work since.
Although it remains uncertain whether Justice Varma will voluntarily step down or contest the findings, sources cited by The Wire have suggested that his position on the bench has become “untenable.” If he refuses to resign, the Chief Justice may be compelled to escalate the matter by seeking the President and Prime Minister’s intervention, which could lead to the initiation of an impeachment process.
Source: The Wire
