The Supreme Court has initiated an in-house inquiry against Justice Yashwant Verma, a sitting Judge of the Delhi High Court, following the discovery of a substantial amount of unaccounted cash at his official residence. The Supreme Court Collegium, after an urgent meeting, recommended his transfer to the Allahabad High Court, which is his parent court.
Reports suggest that the transfer is not the final action against Justice Verma but rather a preliminary step. The authorities are deliberating further actions in accordance with the law. As per judicial protocol, an in-house procedure has been triggered to examine the allegations.
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The in-house inquiry procedure of the Supreme Court follows a structured approach when allegations arise against a High Court Judge. Initially, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) conducts a preliminary examination. If deemed necessary, a committee of three Supreme Court judges is constituted to investigate the matter further after obtaining the judge’s response. Based on the findings of this committee, additional measures may be taken.
A High Court Judge can only be removed through an impeachment motion passed by the Parliament, making it a rare and complex process. Notably, no judge in India’s history has been impeached. While some judges have faced impeachment proceedings, they resigned before the process could conclude.
According to a report published in The Times of India, the cash was discovered unexpectedly when a fire broke out at Justice Verma’s residence. Fire department personnel, upon arriving to control the blaze, stumbled upon hoards of cash. Since the judge was not at home at the time, the fire personnel documented the scene by capturing photos and videos of the cash before informing their superiors. The matter was subsequently reported to higher government officials, who then brought it to the attention of the Chief Justice of India.
Following this revelation, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna promptly convened an extraordinary meeting of the Supreme Court Collegium on Thursday evening to deliberate on the situation and decide on the necessary course of action.
