Burnt cash row: CJI sends panel report to President, PM, recommends Justice Varma’s removal

Earlier, following the emergence of the allegations, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court - a move cleared by the Centre.

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has written to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, recommending the initiation of removal proceedings against Justice Yashwant Varma following allegations that a large pile of burnt cash was discovered in a storeroom attached to his residence.

According to a Supreme Court statement on Thursday, the CJI has forwarded the report of the three-member inquiry committee along with Justice Varma’s written response.

“Chief Justice of India, in terms of the in-house procedure, has written to Hon’ble the President of India and Hon’ble the Prime Minister of India enclosing therewith copy of the three-member committee report dated May 3 along with the letter/response dated May 6 received from Mr Justice Yashwant Varma,” the apex court noted.

While the specific findings of the committee have not been made public, sources confirmed that the CJI has recommended that the process for the removal of the judge be initiated.

The controversy erupted after a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s Lutyens’ Delhi residence late on the night of March 14, which coincided with Holi.

Responding to the fire call, the Delhi Fire Service reportedly found a large quantity of burnt cash in a storeroom attached to the judge’s bungalow. Justice Varma, who was then serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court, maintained that the storeroom was used by several people and that he was unaware of any cash stored there.

The Supreme Court, following this, set up a three-member inquiry panel comprising Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia, and Karnataka High Court judge Anu Sivaraman to examine the allegations.

The panel submitted its report to CJI Khanna on May 3 after recording the statements of more than 50 individuals, including Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and Delhi Fire Service Chief Atul Garg, who were among the first responders at the scene.

Earlier, following the emergence of the allegations, the Supreme Court collegium had recommended Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court - a move cleared by the Centre. The transfer was, however, met with resistance from the bar associations in Allahabad and Lucknow.

Following this, it was decided that Justice Varma, despite taking oath at the Allahabad High Court, would not be assigned any judicial work until the inquiry concluded.