• Source:JND
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Justice Verma Cash Row: Chief Justice of India, BR Gavai, on Wednesday refused to take up Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma’s plea challenging the in-house panel’s findings in the cash-at-residence case, saying 'it may not be proper for him to hear the case'. The CJI ordered to set up a special bench to hear Justice Yashwant Varma's plea.

Giving a reason for his decision, CJI Gavai said he was part of discussions with his predecessor, former Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, who recommended the impeachment of Justice Verma. "I will have to constitute a bench," Chief Justice BR Gavai told senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who mentioned the matter for Varma.

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Earlier, Justice Yashwant Varma urged the top court to accord urgent hearing on his plea seeking to invalidate a report by an in-house inquiry panel, which found him guilty of misconduct in the cash discovery row.

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Justice Gavai was heading a bench which also comprised Justices K Vinod Chandran and Joymalya Bagchi. Sibal requested the bench to list the matter as early as possible, saying they have raised some constitutional issues in the plea.

Justice Varma also sought quashing of the May 8 recommendation by then CJI Sanjiv Khanna, urging Parliament to initiate impeachment against him.

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 of Justice Varma, then a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court and now in the Allahabad High Court.
(With PTI inputs)

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