Massive fire erupted at the official residence of a Delhi High Court judge recently. But what followed is even more shocking. Large sum of unaccounted cash was discovered at his bungalow. Following the discovery of the cash the judge was transferred and discussions on possible impeachment are underway.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, leading a Supreme Court Collegium, decided to transfer the judge back to his parent court, the judge in question is Justice Yashwant Verma and his parent court is the Allahabad High Court.
How was the cash recovered?
According to reports, the time when the fire broke out at Justice Verma’s official residence he was not in Delhi. In order to put out the fire, the family alerted the fire brigade and police. While trying to douse the flames the fire brigade personnel discovered large amounts of cash in different rooms of the bungalow.
The cash was recovered after extinguishing the fire was completed. Following this discovery of such large stacks of cash, the local police alerted the senior officials, who then escalated the matter to top government authorities. The information soon reached CJI Khanna, who convened an urgent meeting of the Collegium.
The Judiciary’s Response
During the meeting, the Collegium took a serious view of the situation, The Supreme Court Collegium unanimously decided to transfer Justice Verma to the Allahabad High Court. Justice Verma had previously served here until 2021. Following the transfer the Collegium submitted its recommendation to the Central government. While the transfer was immediate, discussions were also held on launching an investigation and considering impeachment proceedings.
Concerns Over Judicial Integrity
Few members of the Collegium argued that merely transferring Justice Verma would damage the judiciary’s credibility. They advocated for his resignation and, if refused, an in-house inquiry as the first step toward potential impeachment.
As per the rules, under the Supreme Court’s 1999 in-house procedure, the Chief Justice of India can seek an explanation from a judge who is facing allegations. Furthermore, if necessary, a probe panel consisting of one Supreme Court judge and two High Court Chief Justices can be constituted to investigate the matter.
Who is Justice Yashwant Verma?
Justice Verma was born on January 6, 1969, in Allahabad. After completing his BCom (Hons) from Hansraj College, Delhi University he pursued law. He enrolled as an advocate in 1992, specialising in constitutional, corporate, taxation, and labor laws. In 2014 he was appointed as an additional judge at the Allahabad High Court. Soon in 2016 he became a permanent judge there. Later in 2021 he was transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021.
The Supreme Court may initiate further action based on the findings of an inquiry. The incident has sparked a wider debate on maintaining integrity within the judiciary.
