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‘Storeroom was well-monitored’: Inquiry panel seeks impeachment of justice Yashwant Varma over cash haul
The committee’s report makes two key observations that form the basis of its recommendation to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma.
A three-judge panel has recommended the removal of former Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma, after piles of burnt cash were found at his residence in March.
Appointed by the Supreme Court, the panel examined 55 witnesses, recorded Varma’s statement, and submitted a 64-page report on Thursday morning, NDTV reported.
The committee’s report makes two key observations, cited by NDTV from the official findings, that form the basis of its recommendation to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma.
“This committee holds the money/cash was found in the storeroom located within the premises of 30 Tughlaq Crescent... officially occupied by Justice Varma,” the committee mentioned, according to the report.
The second observation stated, “Access to the storeroom was with Justice Varma and his family members, and (was) well-monitored without any outsiders getting access without permission.”
Drawing from its findings, the panel said that sufficient grounds exist to initiate impeachment proceedings against Justice Varma, who currently holds a position at the Allahabad High Court.
His transfer to the court came soon after the cash seizure, a move widely criticised by members of the legal community and civil rights organisations.
Charred cash found after fire at justice Varma’s home
A fire at Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence in Delhi in March, during his tenure at the Delhi high court, led to the discovery of multiple burnt sacks filled with cash in the outhouse.
The Supreme Court had constituted a three-member committee comprising justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court to investigate the allegations against justice Varma.
The panel submitted its report to the Chief Justice of India on May 4, though its findings have not yet been made public.
Justice Yashwant Varma denied any involvement with the charred cash recovered from the storeroom, saying that neither he nor any of his family members had placed money in the storeroom.
In his response to Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya, he said the allegations appeared to be an attempt to frame and malign him.
