NEW DELHI: Supreme Court advocate Matthew Nedumpara has approached the apex court, seeking directions for the Delhi Police to register an FIR over the alleged recovery of large sums of cash from the residence of Delhi High Court Judge, Justice Yashwant Varma.
In his petition, Nedumpara contended that there was no justification for the Supreme Courtโs decision to form a three-judge committee to investigate the matter. He argued that the probe should be handed over to the police for a thorough and impartial inquiry.
The petition further emphasized the need for decisive measures to curb corruption in the judiciary, recommending the revival of the Judicial Standards and Accountability Bill, 2010, which had lapsed, to enhance transparency and accountability.
Background
The controversy erupted after a fire broke out at Justice Varmaโs residence on March 14, leading to the accidental discovery of unaccounted cash by firefighters. Justice Varma and his wife were reportedly traveling in Madhya Pradesh at the time, with only his daughter and elderly mother present at home.
Following the incident, the Delhi High Court withdrew judicial work from Justice Varma. A notice issued by the Registrar of the High Court on March 25 stated that judicial work assigned to Justice Varma was withdrawn with immediate effect, as per the directions of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, who had advised the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court to take this step.
In the aftermath, the Supreme Court Collegium decided to repatriate Justice Varma to his parent High Court, the Allahabad High Court. The CJI also initiated an in-house inquiry on March 21, appointing a three-member panel to probe the allegations.
Additionally, the Supreme Court made public a report prepared by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, which included Justice Varmaโs response to the allegations.
