GUWAHATI: Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court is preparing for his forthcoming deposition before an in-house inquiry committee, following the controversial discovery of unaccounted cash at his residence earlier this month.
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According to reports, Justice Varma has been holding consultations with a team of senior lawyers to strategise for the inquiry. His legal team includes Senior Advocates Siddharth Agarwal and Arundhati Katju, along with advocates Tara Narula, Stuti Gujral and others. The team is understood to have visited Justice Varma’s residence twice this week to deliberate on the approach to his deposition.
The three-member inquiry committee was constituted by the Chief Justice of India on March 22 to investigate the allegations of corruption levelled against Justice Varma. The committee comprises Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court; Justice GS Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court. The panel is currently in Delhi and is expected to hold multiple meetings with Justice Varma over the coming weeks.
The inquiry was initiated after a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s residence on March 14, leading to the accidental discovery of a significant amount of unaccounted cash. However, Justice Varma has strongly denied, terming them part of a conspiracy to malign him.
The Delhi Police Commissioner subsequently released video footage of the cash recovery, which has been made available on the Supreme Court’s official website. Additionally, the Court has published a comprehensive report prepared by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, detailing the incident along with Justice Varma’s formal response to the charges.
The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended Justice Varma’s repatriation to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court. The proposal is currently awaiting approval from the Central government.