New Delhi, Mar 21: Supreme Court collegium members have urged Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna to go beyond the transfer and initiate an in-house inquiry against Delhi high court judge Yashwant Varma following the discovery of unaccounted cash at his official residence, underscoring the need for stringent action to uphold judicial ethics.
During a collegium meeting on Thursday, while a unanimous decision was taken to transfer Justice Varma back to the Allahabad high court, two judges argued that mere transfer was not the “real solution” and that stronger steps were necessary to maintain public confidence in the judiciary.
One collegium member insisted that Justice Varma should immediately be stripped of judicial work. Another judge advocated for an in-house inquiry, emphasising that such a serious incident demanded institutional accountability. In the wake of the controversy, Justice Varma, the second senior-most judge at the Delhi High Court, did not preside over the court on Friday. His absence was communicated to advocates by his court master. Senior members of the Delhi High Court expressed their shock and concern over the matter, with Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya acknowledging the pain the incident caused.
Sources indicate that some members of the collegium have suggested taking stricter actions against Justice Varma, potentially seeking his resignation and, if refused, launching an in-house inquiry in accordance with previous apex court rulings.
Justice Varma, born on January 6, 1969, was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court in 2014 and became a permanent judge in 2016. He was later appointed to the Delhi High Court in 2021. Following the controversy, senior advocate Indira Jaising called for transparency, urging the collegium to disclose the amount of money recovered to avoid speculation.
The full details and next steps depend on the official actions taken by the Centre and the collegium.
Tags: Northlines
