Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to investigate allegations against Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma in connection with the ‘cash at home’ controversy. The panel, led by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, also includes Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice GS Sandhawalia and Karnataka High Court judge Justice Anu Sivaraman. The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court has been directed to refrain from assigning any judicial work to Justice Varma until further notice.
Justice Varma faces scrutiny over claims that a substantial amount of unaccounted cash was found at his residence. The cash was allegedly recovered during a firefighting operation at his official residence. Sanjiv Khanna convened a collegium meeting. It was unanimously decided to transfer Justice Varma back to the Allahabad High Court, where he had previously served until October 2021.
The Supreme Court, however, clarified that the transfer of Justice Varma is not connected to the alleged recovery of a large stash of cash from his official residence. The top court reiterated that the in-house enquiry is being conducted as per established procedures and that the transfer decision was independent of the ongoing investigation. There is misinformation and rumours being spread regarding the incident at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma the Supreme Court said in a press note.
