A Supreme Court-appointed panel has recommended initiating impeachment proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma after a large amount of charred cash was found at his official residence in Delhi. The committee submitted a detailed 64-page report on Thursday after recording statements of 55 witnesses and Justice Varma.
The three-judge panel has made two important observations that resulted in its recommendation. “This committee holds the money/cash that was found in the storeroom located within the premises of 30 Tughlaq Crescent…officially occupied by Justice Varma,’’ the report stated.
The second finding was, “Access to the storeroom was with Justice Varma and his family members, and was well-monitored without any outsiders getting access without permission.’’
Cash was found at Justice’s official residence
The matter came into the public domain in March when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s residence in Delhi during his tenure at the Delhi High Court. While dousing the fire, authorities discovered many burnt sacks filled with currency notes in a storeroom of the outhouse.
An enquiry committee was set up by the Supreme Court, consisting of Justice GS Sandhawalia, who is Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, Justice Sheel Nagu, who is Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court and Justice Anu Sivaraman of Karnataka High Court, to probe the case. A report was submitted by the panel to Chief Justice DY Chandrachud on May 4.
Justice Varma says allegations are false
Justice Yashwant Varma was transferred to his parent high court, the Allahabad High Court, where he has not been allotted any impeachment duties. He has dismissed any connection related to the cash that has been seized. In a written reply to the Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhaya, he mentioned, “Neither I nor any of my family members have kept the money in the storeroom,’’ and claimed that the allegations were an attempt to frame and malign him.