Fire at Delhi HC judge's house leads to recovery of unaccounted cash, SC collegium acts

Justice Yashwant Varma was out of town when a fire broke out at his residence last week. Justice Varma's family members had called the fire brigade. 

But when the firefighters doused the fire, a huge pile of cash was discovered inside a room.

Police were called by the firefighters.

The accidental discovery, which left the judiciary red-faced, led Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna to call an immediate collegium meeting.

The collegium helmed by the CJI transferred Justice Varma to his parent HC, Allahabad High Court.

He moved from the Allahabad High Court to the Delhi HC in October 2021.

Justice Varma is yet to respond to the discovery of cash at his residence.

Some members of the five-judge collegium feel letting go of Justice Varma with just a transfer order would not only tarnish the image of the judiciary but also create a trust deficit in the institution.

The members feel Justice Varma should be asked to step down or an inquiry should be initiated against the accused as the first step towards his dismissal by Parliament.

How can a High Court judge be removed?

As per the Supreme Court guidelines laid down in 1999, the CJI should first seek the accused judge's response in corruption allegations or judicial irregularities.

The CJI will form an internal committee comprising one Supreme Court judge and two High Court Chief Justices if he is not satisfied with the concerned judge's response or feels the matter requires further investigation.

If after the internal committee's submission of the report the CJI feels the matter is of grave concern and the accused needs to be removed, he will ask the judge to resign.

If the judge refuses to step down, the CJI is empowered to write to the central government to begin proceedings to remove him by Parliament under Article 124(4) of the Constitution.