Justice Yashwant Varma Resigns Amid Ongoing Investigations
NEW DELHI: Justice Yashwant Varma has resigned, which allows him to avoid defending his position in Parliament amid talks about his possible removal as a judge. His resignation could, however, lead to further investigations regarding large sums of money found at his official residence in a secure area of the capital.
Previously, the inquiry was delayed due to the legal protections he had as a high court judge. With his resignation, authorities may now scrutinize the source of the money and potentially bring him under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Recently, Justice Varma’s legal team had downplayed speculations about his resignation as mere rumors. However, consistent eyewitness accounts during committee hearings reportedly influenced his decision to step down.
On March 14-15, the Delhi police commissioner alerted the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice D K Upadhyay, about the large cash recovery at Justice Varma’s bungalow. This incident arose after his daughter called the fire service regarding a fire at their residence. Following this, the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, was informed, escalating discussions about corruption within the judiciary and reigniting calls for reform in how judges are appointed.
By March 20, the Supreme Court collegium, under the leadership of the Chief Justice, considered relocating Justice Varma back to the Allahabad High Court and removed him from his judicial duties. The Chief Justice also sought a report from the Delhi High Court Chief Justice.
After reviewing the report, the Supreme Court collegium recommended Justice Varma’s transfer. The matter gained further prominence when an inquiry committee, led by the Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana, was formed to investigate the situation.
After a thorough investigation, the committee confirmed the discovery of a large cache of cash at Justice Varma’s residence and noted its sudden disappearance. The Chief Justice later advised Justice Varma to resign. When Varma did not comply, the report was escalated to the President and Prime Minister, leading to the initiation of a motion for his removal in Parliament.
Following the submission of this motion in the Lok Sabha, Speaker Om Birla established a three-member committee to investigate the charges against Justice Varma. The inquiry was led by Justice Aravind Kumar, alongside Madras High Court Chief Justice M M Srivastava and senior advocate B V Acharya.
With the Lok Sabha office gathering evidence, primarily from the previously mentioned inquiry, the investigation was progressing toward conclusion.
