Cash row: CJI recommends impeachment of Justice Yashwant Varma

New Delhi: A day after the Supreme Court's internal inquiry panel indicted Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma in the cash discovery row, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna is learnt to have written to the centre recommending impeachment of the judge, reported PTI.

The CJI wrote to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi and shared the report of the three-member committee along with Justice Varma's response.

The move assumes significance in the wake of the established in-house procedure, which entails the CJI writing to the President and Prime Minister for impeachment after their advice to the judge to resign is not complied with.

"Chief Justice of India, in terms of the in-house procedure, has written to President of India and 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 Justice Yashwant Varma," the apex court said in a statement.

On Wednesday, reports said that the apex court-appointed panel confirmed the cash discovery allegations against Justice Varma in its inquiry report.

Sources had also said the CJI nudged Justice Varma to step down in view of critical findings in the report, which was forwarded to the judge for his response in line with the principle of natural justice. Meanwhile, Bar & Bench reported that Varma has refused to resign from the post of Allahabad High Court judge. 

The Probe

The three-member panel comprised Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. The report was finalised on May 3. 

During the probe, the SC panel analysed evidence and recorded the statements of over 50 people, including Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and Delhi Fire Service chief who were among the first responders to the fire incident at Justice Varma's Lutyens' Delhi official residence at around 11.35 pm on March 14. He was a judge of the Delhi High Court at that time.

Justice Varma had repeatedly dismissed the allegations against him in his response to the Delhi High Court chief justice and to the apex court appointed panel.

The controversy was raised following a news report in the cash discovery row and led to several steps, including a preliminary inquiry by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya, judicial work being taken away from Justice Varma in the Delhi High Court, and later his transfer to the Allahabad High Court sans judicial work.

On March 24, the apex court collegium recommended the repatriation of Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court. On March 28, the top court asked the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial work for now to Justice Varma.