New Delhi, July 24 — The controversy surrounding Justice Yashwant Varma took a dramatic turn as Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for the judge, sought an urgent hearing, citing “constitutional questions” involved in the matter. A team of top lawyers — including Senior Advocates Mukul Rohatgi, Rakesh Dwivedi, and Sidharth Luthra — has joined the legal battle on behalf of Justice Varma.
The Chief Justice of India, however, recused himself from hearing the matter, stating, “It will not be proper for me to take up that matter because I was part of that conversation [with the former CJI]. We will just take a call and constitute a bench.”
The matter has its roots in a dramatic incident on March 14, when fire services and police responded to an emergency at Justice Varma’s official residence in Delhi. What began as a fire emergency ended with the discovery of large amounts of cash, including partially burnt wads of currency stored in plastic bags — setting off a political storm and raising serious concerns about corruption in the judiciary.
Justice Varma, who was then serving at the Delhi High Court and has since been transferred to the Allahabad High Court, has categorically denied any involvement with the recovered cash and has alleged a conspiracy against him.
The Supreme Court is now expected to constitute a https://tatkalsamachar.com/delhi-supreme-court/special bench to hear the matter, which could have far-reaching implications for judicial accountability and constitutional propriety.
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Following the cash recovery, a Supreme Court inquiry panel found Justice Varma guilty of misconduct and then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna urged Parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings against the judge. He has now approached the top court to challenge this indictment.
