Recovery of unaccounted cash: SC to hear twin petitions on Justice Yashwant Varma tomorrow

New Delhi: The Supreme Court is set to hear two major petitions on Monday concerning the high-profile case involving Justice Yashwant Varma and the controversial cash discovery at his official residence.

This development follows an unprecedented bipartisan move, where 145 Members of Parliament, cutting across both ruling and opposition parties, submitted an impeachment notice to Lok Sabha Speaker Om Birla, calling for the removal of Justice Varma.

One of the petitions has been filed by Justice Varma himself, who has challenged the findings of a three-member in-house committee set up by the Supreme Court. The committee had recommended his removal under Article 124(4) of the Constitution.

The second petition, brought forward by advocate Mathews J Nedumpara along with other co-petitioners, urges the Delhi Police to register an FIR concerning the alleged recovery of burnt cash in the outhouse of Justice Varma’s official residence, dating back to his tenure at the Delhi High Court.

According to the Supreme Court's cause list, both matters are scheduled to be heard on July 28 by a bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and A G Masih.

In his plea, Justice Varma has sought to nullify the communication sent by former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna to the President and the Prime Minister, recommending action based on the in-house panel's conclusions. Varma has criticised the panel’s conduct, asserting it acted in a "pre-determined manner" and denied him a fair opportunity to defend himself.

Meanwhile, advocate Nedumpara reiterated that the Union Government, which oversees the Delhi Police, is "duty-bound to ensure registration of an FIR." This is his third petition in the matter. His earlier pleas — one in March demanding an FIR and another in May seeking criminal prosecution of Justice Varma — were both dismissed by the apex court.

The case dates back to March 14, when a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s official residence in New Delhi. After fire personnel arrived, burnt currency notes were reportedly found in an outhouse — a recovery that led to widespread concern within judicial and political circles.

Following this incident, Justice Varma was repatriated to the Allahabad High Court, and an internal investigation was launched.

The in-house committee, comprising Chief Justice Sheel Nagu (Punjab and Haryana High Court), Chief Justice G S Sandhawalia (Himachal Pradesh High Court) and Justice Anu Sivaraman (Karnataka High Court), concluded that both direct and electronic evidence indicated the storeroom was under “covert or active control” of Justice Varma and his family.

The panel further found "strong inferential evidence" suggesting that the burnt cash was removed from the premises in the early hours of March 15.

Citing the severity of the allegations, the committee determined that Justice Varma’s misconduct was proven and grave, recommending his removal under Article 124(4) of the Constitution.

IANS