"Misinformation": Supreme Court clears air on Justice Yashwant Varma's transfer amid ongoing in-house inquiry
The Supreme Court clarifies Justice Varma's transfer proposal to Allahabad High Court is separate from the in-house inquiry regarding alleged unaccounted cash.
FollowNew Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has issued a statement clarifying that the transfer proposal of Justice Yashwant Varma, the second senior-most judge in the Delhi High Court, is separate from the ongoing in-house inquiry into the alleged discovery of a large amount of unaccounted cash at his residence.
According to the statement, there has been misinformation and rumours circulating regarding the incident, and the court wants to set the record straight. The proposal to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court, where he will be ninth in seniority, was examined by the Collegium comprising the Chief Justice of India and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court on March 20.
"There is misinformation and rumours being spread with regard to the incident at the residence of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma...The proposal for transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma, who is the second senior most Judge in the Delhi high court and a member of the Collegium, to his parent high court i.e. the high court of Judicature at Allahabad, where he will be ninth in seniority, is independent and separate from the In-house enquiry procedure," the statement reads.
The Delhi High Court Chief Justice has commenced an in-house inquiry into the allegations against Justice Varma and will submit a report to the Chief Justice of India today. The report will then undergo examination for further necessary actions.
It's worth noting that the in-house inquiry procedure is a established protocol for investigating constitutional court judges, and it requires the Chief Justice of India to obtain the judge's statement before determining whether to launch an investigation.
The Supreme Court's statement also mentions that the proposal for Justice Varma's transfer is independent of the in-house inquiry procedure, and that responses from consultee judges, chief justices of high courts concerned, and Justice Varma himself will be examined before the Collegium passes a resolution.
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