New Delhi: A panel of three senior judges has recommended removing Justice Yashwant Varma, now with the Allahabad High Court, after burnt stacks of Rs 500 notes were found at his former Delhi residence in March. The Supreme Court had appointed this panel, which interviewed 55 witnesses, recorded the judge’s statement, and submitted a 64-page report to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi. NDTV accessed this report, including two important findings.
On page 60, the report states, “… this committee holds the money/cash was found in the storeroom located within the premises of 30 Tughlaq Crescent… officially occupied by Justice Varma.” Another crucial detail on page 59 reads, “… access to the storeroom was with Justice Varma and his family members, and (was) well-monitored without any outsiders getting access without permission.”
Burnt cash raises suspicion
The incident occurred on March 14, when a fire broke out at the judge’s government bungalow. Firefighters saw “half-burnt currency notes” while extinguishing the fire in the storeroom. One witness told the panel, “As I entered, I noticed on the right-hand side and in front, there was large pile of cash of Rs 500 notes lying on the floor. I was shocked and surprised at such large amounts of cash strewn on the floor… I saw this for the first time in my life.”
According to the report, the presence of the large amount of cash was “highly suspicious items and… not small denomination… could not have been placed… without the active consent of Justice Varma or his family.” The panel also looked into the roles of the judge’s daughter, Diya Varma, and his secretary, Rajinder Karki, who reportedly asked the firemen not to report the cash.
Panel backs judge’s removal
The committee concluded there is enough evidence to start the impeachment process against Justice Varma. “… this committee is firmly of the view there is sufficient substance in the allegations raised (by) the Chief Justice of India (then Sanjiv Kumar) … and the misconduct found proved is serious enough to call for initiation of proceedings for removal of Justice Yashwant Varma…”
Justice Varma denied the allegations, claiming neither he nor his family knew about the cash and that the storeroom was accessible to many. This could be India’s first-ever forced removal of a sitting judge.
