The fire in the government bungalow of Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Verma has shaken the judicial system. After extinguishing the fire, there was a stir due to huge amount of cash from the room. As soon as the case reached the high officials and then the Chief Justice (CJI) Sanjeev Khanna, the Supreme Court collegium immediately decided to transfer Justice Verma to his original place, Allahabad High Court.
How to open the case of cash?
- Last week, a sudden fire broke out in Justice Verma’s government bungalow in Delhi.
- At that time Justice Verma was not present in the city, and his family called the fire brigade and the police.
- After overcoming the fire, rescuers found a large amount of cash in a room.
- The official entry of cash was made, which is considered unannounced and unattainable.
- Information about this reached senior officers through local police, who informed the top officials of the government.
CJI Khanna’s readiness and collegium’s response
When this sensitive information was given to CJI Sanjeev Khanna, he immediately took serious cognizance of it and called an emergency meeting of the collegium.
The collegium unanimously decided that:
“Justice Verma should be immediately removed from the Delhi High Court and transferred to the Allahabad High Court.”
This transfer was considered necessary to save the credibility of the institute and maintain public trust.
Apart from transfer, demand for strict action is arising
Some members of the collegium believe that:
- Just transfer is not enough.
- This can cause deep damage to the credibility of the judiciary.
- Justice Verma should resign, and if he does not do so, then an internal investigation against him should begin.
What does the Supreme Court say 1999 in-house process?
In cases of corruption or irregularity against constitutional benches judges:
- CJI first asks for answers from the judge concerned.
- If the answer is not satisfactory, an internal inquiry committee is formed.
- The committee consists of:
- A Supreme Court judge
- Two High Court Chief Justice
This committee is initial investigation before the commencement of impeachment process in Parliament.
Big impact of the case: Judiciary’s credibility is at stake
This case is not only related to a particular person, but is related to:
- Transparency of judiciary
- Public faith
- And constitutional dignity
Now everyone’s eyes are on:
- Will Justice Verma voluntarily resign?
- Will CJI start an internal investigation against them?
- Will action take action like impeachment at Parliament level?
