No Relief for Justice Yashwant Verma in Cash Scandal Case

The Supreme Court has rejected the petition of Justice Yashwant Verma in the case related to the cash scandal. Justice Verma had challenged the validity of the investigation process and questioned the recommendation of the CJI to remove him. The court clarified that the investigation committee has followed all the prescribed procedures. The bench of Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice AG Masih also said that Justice Verma's conduct does not inspire confidence, so his petition cannot be considered. In this case, the letter sent by the then CJI Sanjeev Khanna to President Murmu and PM Modi was not unconstitutional.

The Supreme Court raised many important questions on the petition during the hearing. The bench asked that if the petitioner felt the process was illegal, then why did he participate in the investigation? Could he not have challenged it immediately? On this, the court also commented that the office of the Chief Justice is not just a post office, and it is the responsibility of the Chief Justice to inform the President and the Prime Minister when such serious allegations come to light.

What is the matter?

Justice Yashwant Verma's government residence in Lutyens Delhi caught fire on the night of March 14. Justice Verma was not at home at this time, but his family members sought help from the fire brigade to extinguish the fire. The Delhi Fire Department immediately sent a team to the judge's residence. Later, it was reported in the media that a large amount of cash was seen in Justice Verma's government bungalow while extinguishing the fire.

Supreme Court Chief Justice Sanjeev Khanna called a meeting of the Collegium on March 20, in which a proposal was made to transfer Justice Verma to Allahabad High Court. The investigation of this matter was handed over to the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, and the decision to transfer Justice Verma will be taken on the basis of this investigation report. Meanwhile, Delhi Fire Brigade Chief Atul Garg claimed that firefighters did not find any cash while dousing the fire at Justice Yashwant Verma's residence, giving a new twist to the case.