Himalaya Harbinger, Rudrapur Bureau
New Delhi: A fire at the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma led to the finding of an alleged unaccounted sum of cash by firefighters. Following this, the Central Government took note of the matter, prompting the Supreme Court Collegium to convene an urgent meeting chaired by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna. Reports indicate that the Collegium has decided to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court. Meanwhile, some Collegium members have reportedly insisted that Justice Varma should resign, arguing that the credibility of the judiciary has been compromised
The dramatic turn of events followed the fire incident at Justice Varma’s official residence in Delhi. At the time of the incident, the judge was not present at his residence. Family members who were at the house alerted authorities, following which firefighters arrived and extinguished the blaze. As part of standard procedures, Fire Department personnel and police officials conducted an assessment of damages caused by the fire. It was during this process that a huge amount of cash was allegedly found in one of the rooms. Upon further examination, the amount was found to be unaccounted for. Police officials on the scene promptly informed their higher authorities,
leading to swift escalation of the matter to senior officials in the Union Ministry of Home Affairs.
The Central Government subsequently apprised Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna of the incident. Recognising the seriousness of the issue, which has reportedly unsettled the judiciary, Chief Justice Khanna immediately convened a meeting of the Supreme Court Collegium. It is understood that all Collegium members agreed on the necessity of taking action against Justice Varma. As a result, the Collegium has reportedly decided to transfer him to the Allahabad High Court, where he originally served.
During the Collegium meeting, some members argued that stricter action was required against Justice Varma. They contended that merely transferring him would not be sufficient to protect the credibility of the judiciary. Some members reportedly demanded that the Chief Justice seek Varma’s resignation. In the event that he refuses to step down, the Collegium discussed the possibility of initiating an internal enquiry
The standard protocol in cases involving allegations of corruption against a judge includes first seeking an explanation from the accused judge. Following this, an internal enquiry committee, typically comprising one Supreme Court judge and two Chief Justices of High Courts, may be constituted. If the internal
committee finds the judge guilty, the matter could be escalated to Parliament for further action, including possible removal.
