Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose residence a large sum of cash was recovered, has declined to resign as High Court Judge, despite a Supreme Court-appointed in-house enquiry committee confirming the recovery, sources said on Thursday.
Subsequently, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna wrote to the President and the Prime Minister, detailing the findings of the enquiry panel, as the process for the judge's impeachment is expected to begin soon, sources said.
The enquiry committee confirmed the recovery of cash from the official residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, who was serving as a judge of the Delhi High Court, following a fire incident on March 14. Based on the panel’s report submitted to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, Justice Varma was given the option to either resign or face impeachment proceedings.
According to sources, in his response sent to the Chief Justice, Justice Varma remained defiant and refused to step down from his judicial duty. Chief Justice Khanna then forwarded the enquiry report and a copy of Justice Varma’s response to the President and PM Modi. Under the House enquiry procedure for High Court judges, refusal to resign is the only instance that requires the CJI to write to the President and the PM.
The cash recovery from the judge's official residence was followed a series of actions, including a preliminary enquiry by Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya, an immediate withdrawal of judicial work from Justice Varma, and his subsequent transfer to the Allahabad High Court without any judicial responsibilities.
Source: India Today
