- Wednesday, March 26, 2025
It is not known whether justice Varma was at his residence when the three-member inquiry panel conducted its inspection
By: India Weekly
THE THREE members of a Supreme Court-appointed in-house committee went to the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma on Tuesday (25) as it commenced its in-depth inquiry into allegations of discovery of a cash pile at his residence here.
Justice Sheel Nagu, chief justice of Punjab and Haryana high court, Justice G S Sandhawalia, chief justice of Himachal Pradesh high court, and Anu Sivaraman, a judge of Karnataka High Court, reached justice Varma’s official residence and inspected the site where cash stash was allegedly found, the sources said.
It is not known whether justice Varma was at his residence during the inquiry panel inspection.
The findings will decide the fate of justice Varma, who is facing the allegation that “four to five semi-burnt sacks of Indian currency notes” were found in his home following a fire incident on March 14.
The apex court Collegium had recommended the repatriation of Justice Varma, who was de-rostered by the Delhi High Court following a directive from chief justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, to his parent Allahabad High Court.
On March 22, the CJI constituted the three-member committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into allegations against Justice Varma and decided to upload the in-house inquiry report of Chief Justice D K Upadhyay of the Delhi High Court in the incident. It included photos and videos of the alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash.
Justice Varma has “unequivocally” denied of any cash being placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members while “strongly denouncing the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged” to them.
He said the allegations of cash discovery from his official residence clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign him.
Advocates protest
The Allahabad High Court Bar Association on Tuesday (25) began an indefinite strike to protest against the proposed transfer of Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma to the high court here.
Bar Association President Anil Tiwari told reporters, “This protest is not against any court or judge but against those who have betrayed the judicial system.”
He added, “Our fight is against those involved in corruption and against a system that lacks transparency. For now, our demand is a reconsideration and withdrawal of the transfer order.”
The Bar Association had reiterated its opposition to justice Varma’s transfer on Monday and decided to go on an indefinite strike from Tuesday.
Tiwari asserted the association was prepared for an all-out battle on this issue.
“From the very beginning, there has been an attempt to cover up this matter. Today, lawyers across India are fighting this battle. Until a resolution is reached, we will not resume work, no matter the consequences,” he said on Monday.
Justice Varma was enrolled as an advocate on August 8, 1992. He was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014.
He took oath as a permanent judge of the Allahabad High Court on February 1, 2016, before being appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021. (PTI)
