Judicial panel to begin inquiry in justice Varma case this week

New Delhi The in-house committee set up by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna is expected to commence its work this week as the judiciary moves swiftly to address the controversy surrounding the reported discovery of a large amount of cash at justice Yashwant Varma’s official residence in Delhi. According to people aware of the matter, a formal communication was sent to the panel on Monday, enumerating the mandates and remits.

“The committee is expected to commence its work this week, likely Wednesday, for the CJI is of the opinion that the matter needs to be taken to its logical conclusion without any delay,” said one of the persons cited above. This person added: “It is usually within 48 hours of the communication from the Supreme Court that the panel commences work.”

The three-member panel comprises justice Sheel Nagu, chief justice of the Punjab & Haryana high court; justice GS Sandhawalia, chief justice of the Himachal Pradesh high court; and justice Anu Sivaraman, judge of the Karnataka high court. The committee has been tasked with examining the circumstances surrounding the reported discovery of large amounts of cash at justice Varma’s residence.

Another person added that the three-member committee is likely to conduct its proceedings in Delhi. “The place of occurrence, witnesses, and officers are all from Delhi. It is in all likelihood that the panel will sit in Delhi to carry out its functions efficiently,” said this person.

The committee’s mandate includes seeking justice Varma’s explanation regarding the large stacks of cash allegedly discovered at his official residence, examining his secretarial and security staff, and questioning officers from the Delhi police and the fire department. Additionally, the committee will oversee the forensic examination of justice Varma’s call records, which CJI Khanna has ordered to be preserved.

To be clear, the committee is not tasked with criminal prosecution but will submit its findings to CJI Khanna. Based on the conclusions, it will make recommendations on whether justice Varma’s continuation as a judge is tenable and whether the matter warrants a criminal investigation.

The developments follow a tumultuous week in the judiciary, beginning with a fire at justice Varma’s official residence on March 14. Firefighters responding to the incident reportedly found large amounts of cash in a storeroom, some of which were charred. Justice Varma and his wife were in Bhopal at the time.

On Monday morning, Delhi high court chief justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyay withdrew judicial work from justice Varma with immediate effect, as mandated by CJI Khanna. Later in the day, the Supreme Court collegium issued a resolution repatriating justice Varma to his parent high court, the Allahabad high court. This resolution needs to be approved by the Union government to shift out justice Varma.

The controversy erupted after a fire at justice Varma’s official residence on Tughlak Road at around 11:35 PM on March 14. While the Delhi Fire Services (DFS) quickly doused the flames, first responders, including DFS personnel and possibly police officers, allegedly discovered large stacks of cash in the storeroom, some of which were reportedly charred. Justice Varma and his wife were in Bhopal at the time.

Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing, calling the allegations a “conspiracy to malign” him and He has asserted that neither he nor his family members had any knowledge of the money and has dismissed the claims as “totally preposterous.”

His transfer to the Allahabad high court has sparked resistance from the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA), which has questioned whether the court is being used as a “dumping ground” for judges facing controversy.