CJI forms 3-member committee to probe allegations against Delhi HC judge in ‘cash-at-home’ issue
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjeev Khanna on Saturday established a three-member committee to investigate the allegations against Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma, following the reported recovery of cash from his residence in New Delhi on March 14.
Three-Member Probe Panel Constituted
The committee includes:
- Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court,
- Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and
- Justice Anu Sivaraman, Judge at the Karnataka High Court.
Additionally, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice has been directed not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma until further notice.
The report submitted by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, Justice Varma’s response, and other related documents are being uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website for public access.
This investigation follows the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendation on Friday to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court, which is his parent court.
The Supreme Court Registry clarified that the transfer decision is independent of the in-house inquiry initiated by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court after receiving information about the cash recovery incident.
Justice Yashwant Varma was appointed to the Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021, after serving nearly seven years as a judge at the Allahabad High Court, where he originally began his judicial career. If transferred, he will be ninth in seniority at the Allahabad High Court.
