Legal experts have lauded Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna's decision to make public crucial documents related to a controversy surrounding the alleged discovery of cash from Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma's residence. They also welcomed the formation of an in-house committee to further investigate the matter. While some expressed concerns about the incident's impact on the judiciary's image, others emphasized the need for transparency and a fair inquiry. The Supreme Court released the inquiry report by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya, which included photos and videos of the alleged cash discovery. Justice Varma has denied the allegations, calling them a "conspiracy to frame and malign him."
'If the parliamentary committee's report does not find substantiated charges, the process ends.'
The Supreme Court questioned Justice Yashwant Varma regarding his plea to invalidate an in-house inquiry panel report that indicted him after a large amount of burnt cash was discovered at his official residence during his time as a Delhi High Court judge.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday refused to hear a plea seeking a first information report (FIR) against high court judge Yashwant Varma in connection with the discovery of cash from this official residence in the capital.
Justice Yashwant Varma, embroiled in the cash discovery row following a fire at his residence, has been excluded from all administrative committees of the Delhi High Court. The committees were recently reconstituted, with all other judges, including the Chief Justice, included. Justice Varma was previously a member of several committees. His work was withdrawn following a directive from the Chief Justice of India, who has also ordered an in-house inquiry into the allegations.
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has recommended the impeachment of Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma following an investigation into a cash discovery incident at his residence. The recommendation follows a report by a Supreme Court-appointed committee that confirmed allegations of cash discovery against Justice Varma. The CJI's recommendation is based on the established in-house procedure for dealing with allegations against judges of constitutional courts.
Officials aware of the procedure to appoint and remove Supreme Court and high court judges pointed out that while defending his case before lawmakers in any of the House, Justice Varma can announce that he is quitting and his verbal statement will be considered as his resignation.
Sri Lanka's response to the Easter attacks has been slow and politically contested, unlike India's swift institutional reforms after the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, observes Colonel R Hariharan (retd).
Stepping up the heat on Justice Yashwant Varma, parliamentarians on Monday submitted notices to the presiding officers of the Lok Sabha and the Rajya Sabha for the removal of the Allahabad high court judge from whose residence in New Delhi burnt wads of currency notes were found.
The three-judge panel headed by Chief Justice Sheel Nagu of the Punjab and Haryana High Court conducted the inquiry for 10 days, examined 55 witnesses and visited the scene of the accidental fire that started at around 11.35 pm on March 14 at the official residence Justice Varma, then a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court and now in the Allahabad High Court.
'Dialogue and discussion, not conflict, are the way forward.' 'Internal fighting strengthens our enemies and provides material to divide us.'
Lok Sabha will consider a motion to remove Justice Yashwant Varma due to a suspected corruption case, after a similar motion in Rajya Sabha was not admitted. The move follows a unanimous decision by political parties to address perceived corruption in the judiciary.
The Supreme Court collegium has initiated an initial inquiry against Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma following the alleged discovery of a large stash of cash at his official residence during a fire incident. The collegium has also reportedly recommended Justice Varma's transfer to his parent high court, the Allahabad High Court. The inquiry will involve seeking a report from the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on the incident. The controversy surrounding the alleged discovery of cash was first reported by The Times of India. Justice Varma's proposed transfer is subject to the Centre's approval. The amount of cash found is not yet known. Justice Varma, currently heading a division bench dealing with sales tax, GST, company appeals and other appeals, did not hold court on Friday. Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya expressed shock over the incident. The collegium reportedly received information about the cash discovery from government officials. Some collegium members have called for stricter action against Justice Varma, including seeking his resignation or launching an in-house inquiry. The Supreme Court has an in-house inquiry mechanism to deal with allegations against judges, which involves forming a committee to investigate and, based on the report, take further action. A judge of a constitutional court can only be removed through impeachment by Parliament.
The Supreme Court of India has released an inquiry report into the alleged discovery of a large amount of cash at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma. The report, which includes photos and videos, was uploaded on the court's website. Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has formed an in-house committee to investigate the matter and has asked the Delhi High Court Chief Justice to not assign any judicial work to Justice Varma. Justice Varma has denied the allegations, claiming they are part of a conspiracy to frame him. The inquiry report, submitted by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, has been made public and calls for a deeper probe into the incident. The incident has raised concerns about judicial accountability and has prompted the Congress party to call for strong measures to uphold public trust in the judiciary.
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has questioned the lack of an FIR in the case involving the discovery of burnt cash at a Delhi High Court judge's residence, raising concerns about potential immunity from prosecution for certain individuals. He criticized the delay in investigation and the in-house probe by a three-judge panel, highlighting the importance of transparency and the rule of law in addressing such a significant incident.
The Supreme Court will hear a plea on Friday seeking a direction to Delhi Police to lodge an FIR over the alleged discovery of semi-burnt stash of cash from the official residence of High Court judge Yashwant Varma. The plea was filed by lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara and three others on Sunday. It challenges the 1991 judgement in the K Veeraswami case, in which the top court ruled that no criminal proceedings could be initiated against a judge of the high court or the top court without the prior nod of the Chief Justice of India. The alleged cash discovery happened following a fire at Varma's Lutyens Delhi residence on March 14, prompting the fire officers to rush to the spot. A Supreme Court-appointed in-house committee visited the residence of Justice Varma on Tuesday to commence its inquiry in the matter. Justice Varma denounced any insinuation and said no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members.
The Supreme Court addressed concerns about misinformation spreading related to an incident involving Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. The court clarified that the proposal to transfer Justice Varma to Allahabad High Court was independent of an internal investigation into the discovery of a large sum of cash at his residence following a fire. The Delhi High Court Chief Justice is conducting the investigation and will submit a report to the Chief Justice of India today.
Father of deceased pilot and Federation of Indian Pilots petition Supreme Court for a court-monitored inquiry into the Air India flight AI171 crash in Ahmedabad.
The Supreme Court dismissed Allahabad High Court judge Yashwant Varma's plea seeking invalidation of a report that found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row.
The Supreme Court on Friday said no one blamed the chief pilot of the Air India Dreamliner for the June 12 crash, which claimed 260 lives, and asked his 91-year-old father not to carry any emotional burden.
Representatives from Ladakh have accepted an invitation from the Ministry of Home Affairs for a meeting in Delhi on October 22 to discuss their demands for statehood and safeguards for the Union Territory.
The Supreme Court agreed to hear on Friday a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking inquiry and systemic reform in drug safety mechanisms in the wake of deaths of children in Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan allegedly due to consumption of toxic cough syrups.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has ordered an in-house inquiry into allegations against a Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, after reports of burnt cash being found at his residence. The inquiry will be conducted by a three-member committee headed by Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The allegations stem from a report by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, who stated that four to five semi-burnt sacks of Indian currency notes were found at Justice Varma's residence following a fire. Justice Varma has strongly denied the allegations, calling them a conspiracy to frame him.
A plea in the Supreme Court of India seeks a direction to Delhi Police to lodge an FIR over the alleged discovery of semi-burnt stash of cash from the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma. The plea challenges a 1991 judgement that prohibits criminal proceedings against judges without prior consent from the Chief Justice of India, arguing it violates the principle of equality before the law. It also seeks to declare the collegium's 3-member committee investigating the incident as having no jurisdiction and calls for action against corruption within the judiciary.
A video and inquiry report have raised questions about the Delhi Fire Services' claim that no cash was found at the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma during a fire incident on March 14. The video, which has gone viral on social media, shows fire fighters dousing flames on articles that appear to include half-burnt Indian currency notes. The Delhi High Court Chief Justice has initiated an in-house inquiry against Justice Varma and the Supreme Court has proposed his transfer to the Allahabad High Court.
The TVK has sought an independent investigation under the supervision of the Supreme Court, contending that a fair and impartial probe would not be possible if conducted solely by officers of the Tamil Nadu Police.
The Supreme Court has ordered a CBI probe into the Karur stampede, prompting varied reactions from political parties. DMK claims misrepresentation in the petition, while AIADMK sees the decision as a setback for DMK. Other parties express their views on the investigation and its implications.
The CJI is expected to write to the President and the Prime Minister soon about his recommendation.
The Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has assured bar leaders that he will consider their demand for withdrawal of the collegium's recommendation to transfer Delhi High Court's Justice Yashwant Varma. The decision came after representatives of six bar associations of different high courts met with the CJI and other collegium members. The bar associations are protesting the proposed repatriation of Justice Varma to his parent high court, alleging that the evidence in a fire incident at his residence was tampered with. The bar associations have also raised concerns about the non-registration of an FIR in the incident.
A three-judge panel appointed by the Supreme Court of India has submitted its inquiry report to the Chief Justice of India on the cash discovery allegations against Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma. The panel, comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Justice G S Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman, finalized its report on May 3. The report was submitted to the CJI on May 4 for further actions. The controversy was raised following a news report about the cash discovery row after a fire at Justice Varma's residence in Delhi on March 14. The report reportedly contains the findings of the panel into the alleged cash discovery row. Justice Varma has denounced any insinuation and said no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members.
The Kerala High Court has criticized the Kerala Waqf Board's claim on land in Munambam as a 'land grabbing tactic' and upheld the government's decision to appoint an inquiry commission to investigate the ownership of the disputed area.
The Supreme Court has criticized the selective publication of a preliminary report on the Air India crash, calling it 'unfortunate and irresponsible'. The court raised concerns about privacy, dignity of victims' families, and the potential for biased narratives.
The agency has moved with its charge sheet against Shukla after getting a go ahead from the government to prosecute the retired judge, they said.
The Supreme Court acknowledged a clean chit from a special investigation team (SIT) regarding the Vantara zoological rescue and rehabilitation centre in Gujarat's Jamnagar, following allegations of irregularities.
The judges were inside the official residence of Justice Varma for around 30-35 minutes and apparently inspected the site, sources said.
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed the ongoing inquiries by two separate panels of the Centre and the Punjab government into the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's recent visit to Punjab, and said that it will set up a committee headed by a former apex court judge to probe it.
'We have already prejudged the issue. And now things have reached a point where it is very difficult for a person to say that he could be innocent.'
A controversy surrounding the gold-clad plates of the Dwarapalaka idols at Sabarimala temple has ignited a political row in Kerala, with opposition parties alleging theft and demanding a comprehensive investigation into temple inventories and the role of a sponsor in the replating process.
The Supreme Court of India has formed a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to investigate allegations of non-compliance with laws and irregularities at Vantara, a Green Zoological Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre in Gujarat. The SIT will examine the acquisition of animals, compliance with wildlife protection laws, and other related issues.
The Supreme Court has dismissed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking the registration of an FIR over the alleged discovery of burnt wads of cash at the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma. The court said an in-house inquiry was underway and there would be several options open to the Chief Justice of India after the probe's conclusion.