• Source:JND
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Justive Yashwant Varma Cash Row: Chief Justice of India BR Gavai on Monday schooled a senior lawyer when he referred to Allahabad High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, simply as "Varma" while urging the top court to direct the Delhi Police to register an FIR against him over alleged recovery of money from his bungalow earlier this year.

Senior advocate Mathews J Nedumpara, seeking an out-of-turn hearing on his third consecutive plea, asked the bench for an urgent hearing in the matter and said, "FIR has to be registered. Now, Varma seems to be asking for that only. There has to be an FIR and investigation."

This invited a sharp criticism from the CJI who asked Nedumpara to maintain "some decorum" since Justice Varma is still a judge of the Constitutional Court. "Is he your friend? He is still Justice Varma. Have some decorum! You are referring to a learned judge. He is still a judge of the court," CJI Gavai told advocate Mathews Nedumpara.

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Respoding to CJI's cirticism, Nedumpara said, "I don't think that greatness can apply to him. Matter has to be listed." However, the CJI rebuked him again and said, "Please don't dictate to the court," and refused to list his plea for urgent hearing and said that it will be listed in due course.

In his petition, advocate Nedumpara, along with his co-petitioners, contended that the Union government -- which oversees the Delhi Police -- was duty-bound to direct the registration of an FIR as soon as a large pile of burnt cash was discovered in the storeroom attached to Justice Varma's bungalow, after the fire brigade responded to a blaze there on March 14.

Recently, the Allahabad High Court judge moved the Supreme Court seeking to invalidate a report by an in-house inquiry panel, which found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row. Justice Varma has sought quashing of the May 8 recommendation by then Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, urging Parliament to initiate impeachment against him.

The government plans to move a motion to remove Varma in Parliament's Monsoon session, which began today. Union Parliamentary Affairs Minister Kiren Rijiju yesterday said over 100 MPs have already signed a notice to bring a motion in Parliament for the removal of Justice Yashwant Varma, crossing the threshold of support required for tabling the impeachment exercise in the Lok Sabha.

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A report of the inquiry panel probing the incident had said that Justice Varma and his family members had covert or active control over the store room where a huge cache of half-burnt cash was found, proving his misconduct, which is serious enough to seek his removal.

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.


(With Agencies Inputs)