Cash row: SC panel submits report to CJI on charges against Justice Varma

The Supreme Court-appointed three-judge panel has submitted its inquiry report to Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on the cash discovery allegations against Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma.

The three-member panel comprising Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice G S Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court finalised its report on May 3.

The report, which was submitted to the CJI on May 4 for further actions, if any, reportedly contains the findings of the panel into the alleged cash discovery row following a fire at Justice Varma's Lutyens Delhi residence at around 11.35 pm on March 14, prompting the fire officials to rush to the spot and douse it.

The controversy was raised following a news report in the cash discovery row and led to several steps, including a preliminary inquiry by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya and taking away judicial work from Justice Varma in the Delhi High Court and later his transfer to the Allahabad High Court sans judicial work.

"The three-member committee... constituted for conducting an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge, has submitted its report dated May 3 to the Chief Justice of India on May 4," the apex court said in a statement.

On March 28, the top court had asked the chief justice of the Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial work for now to Justice Varma.

On March 24, the apex court collegium recommended the repatriation of Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court. The Delhi High Court had previously withdrawn work from the judge following a directive from the CJI.

The government had notified the transfer of Delhi High Court Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court.

On March 22, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into allegations and decided to upload on the apex court website the inquiry report of Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya of the Delhi High Court.

It included photos and videos of the alleged discovery of a huge stash of cash.

Justice Varma denounced any insinuation and said no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members.