Supreme Court To Set Up Special Bench To Hear Justice Yashwant Varma's Plea

The Supreme Court will set up a special bench to hear Justice Yashwant Varma's challenge to a three-judge panel's report that indicted him after a huge cash recovery at his residence.

Chief Justice of India BR Gavai said in court today that he was part of discussions with his predecessor, former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who recommended that Justice Varma be impeached, and it would be improper for him to hear the matter.

Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Justice Varma, sought an urgent hearing of the matter. "There are constitutional questions," he pointed out. Besides Mr Sibal, a battery of lawyers, including Senior Advocate Mukul Rohatgi, Senior Advocate Rakesh Dwivedi and Senior Advocate Sidharth Luthra are appearing for Justice Varma.

"I think it will not be proper for me to take up that matter because I was part of that conversation (with former CJI), we will just take a call and constitute a bench," the Chief Justice said.

Justice Yashwant Varma, then a judge of the Delhi High Court, hit headlines on March 14 when firefighters and cops rushed to the judge's official residence in Delhi after a fire call. The firefight ended in a startling revelation. A massive amount of cash, many wads of currency notes burnt in the fire, was recovered from plastic bags.

The recovery led to a political storm as allegations of corruption in the justice delivery system surfaced. Justice Varma has denied any link to the cash and alleged a conspiracy. He has since been transferred to the Allahabad High Court. 

Following the cash recovery, a Supreme Court inquiry panel found Justice Varma guilty of misconduct and then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna urged Parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings against the judge. He has now approached the top court to challenge this indictment.