Delhi High Court judge transferred after cash recovery during fire at residence

India Today

A fire at the residence of Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Verma led to the discovery of a large amount of cash, prompting the Supreme Court Collegium to order his immediate transfer to Allahabad High Court.

Transcript

00:00A fire at a sitting High Court judge led to trouble against him.

00:07Here's what happened.

00:08So there was a blaze at the residence of Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Verma, but

00:13it led to the recovery of a massive pile of cash and has triggered shockwaves within judicial

00:18circles according to a report.

00:20The incident even prompted the Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Sanjeev

00:24Khanna to order an immediate transfer to the Allahabad High Court.

00:29The Collegium unanimously transferring the justice, the Judge Yashwant Verma to Allahabad

00:34High Court, but some members say a mere transfer is insufficient and this is a question mark

00:39on judicial credibility.

00:41Now we do not have the clarity about how much was the pile of cash, but clearly enough pile

00:47of cash that has led to an inquiry that has led to his transfer.

00:53Remember what would prompt the Supreme Court Collegium as well to take it up so strongly

00:59that pile or must add clearly must have been piles of cash.

01:03Was it undocumented?

01:05Is there no reason for a judge even of that stature to have that much cash in his house

01:12and has he not been able to really give his defense to the Collegium or where this money

01:18was from?

01:19So it appears that possibly remember emergency services authorities must have come to his

01:25house with regard to the fire and the blaze and that led to the recovery of a massive

01:31pile of cash and triggered shockwaves within judicial circles.

01:34Basically this is raising a question mark if there is a certain judicial credibility

01:39that is in question here.

01:41We will try and get clarity if the judge has been able to give a defense with this regard

01:46to the Supreme Court Collegium, but for now an immediate transfer to the Allahabad High

01:51Court.

01:52So you can only imagine if this has led to a transfer.

01:56Has the pile of cash been humongous in nature?

02:04Let's try and put it in perspective.

02:07Retired High Court Judge R S Sodhi is joining me on the phone line right now.

02:13Sir, help me understand this because a pile of cash clearly that big that has led to a

02:20transfer of a sitting justice.

02:24What do you make of it?

02:26Do you believe that the transfer at least is the bare minimum that should have been

02:30done?

02:31No, the transfer is merely the start of it.

02:35This is not a bare minimum or whatever you refer to.

02:40This is an initiation of proceedings that will take place because of such a recovery

02:46from a sitting judge's house.

02:48It is indeed shocking and most appalling that a judge should be compromised to such an extent.

02:57So now we don't know how many judgments of his are compromised.

03:00We do not know what he has been up to.

03:04So this is merely an initiation of further proceedings.

03:09If you can tell me about what possibly is the kind of shockwaves or discussion or sentiment

03:15among judicial circles.

03:16You've also been a justice and there are of course a lot of scrutiny and a responsibility

03:22on the shoulders of a judge.

03:23We expect them to be completely independent.

03:26What do you think then possibly because the recovery of the cash has led to a certain

03:31discussion in the judicial circles?

03:34See, primarily it makes out that this is certainly a disproportionate amount that a

03:41judge is holding.

03:43It has nothing normal about it.

03:46It's an extraordinary thing.

03:49It's not something that one enjoys discussing even because it is unbecoming.

03:56These things don't happen and in any case are not supposed to happen.

04:02The judges are supposed to be like Caesar's wife.

04:05You can't be compromised on that at all.

04:09And if such a thing has happened, obviously it disturbs the entire judicial system.

04:16Not only the sitting ones, but it has disturbed me for example.

04:21I retired 15 years ago.

04:23Even today I feel very strongly on this.

04:29What can one say beyond this?

04:31It's important that your perspective has come in.

04:33Also tell me this, what do you think should be a protocol of investigation on this?

04:38Has there been ever a precedent like this?

04:39Have you ever heard of an incident like this in your career?

04:43Because this time, remember, we're talking about someone and we'll be looking at his

04:46judgments too.

04:47But for now, as the investigation proceeds, how do you think this must go ahead?

04:50Do you think there needs to be a benchmark set for one and all going here forth?

04:55If Primoz Hesai, it is already made out that there's an aberration.

05:02Now this aberration, it must immediately result in something or the other.

05:07Either he'll be asked to resign, which is the bare minimum, and then face consequences.

05:13All consequences have to be faced.

05:15See, the same thing, if you remember, happened in Nirmal Yadav's case, Justice Nirmal Yadav

05:23in Punjab and Haryana.

05:26Some money was to be delivered to Nirmal Yadav, but was delivered to Nirmal Kaur.

05:31And then the consequences were there, she had to resign and face prosecution.

05:37This has to be, this will lead to this logical conclusion.

05:43I appreciate you joining us, sir, and speaking to India Today with your perspective.

05:47Because remember, this has been concerning.

05:49When I say pile of cash, how much was that pile or piles of cash that has caught the

05:55attention of authorities?

05:57And even the Collegium has said this is not acceptable.

06:01He's been immediately transferred.

06:04Many in fact have said that's not enough.

06:06But it's a matter of probe right now.

06:08And what he has to say about in his defense.

06:13Our legal correspondent Srishti Ojha is also joining me on the phone line.

06:18Srishti, I can only imagine that the pile must have been so huge, that it's led not

06:23just to a recovery, but to question mark and an immediate transfer.

06:27What are you picking up about the shockwaves about it in the judicial circles?

06:30Well, so that's definitely shocking news, because we've not heard of any, any of such

06:38an incident very recently in a very, you know, near past.

06:43And of course, even lawyers that we've spoken to off the record have told us about how absolutely

06:47shocking these allegations are, and the concern that they've expressed with, you know, the

06:51kind of effect that these allegations and such cases can have on what people think about

06:56the judiciary and how people perceive, because, you know, if you talk about laymen, the citizens

07:01of the country are relying on Indian judiciary to be independent to decide their cases.

07:06So when instances like these come up, and even, you know, even when you're at a stage

07:10of an allegation, that such allegations, you know, have been made against the judge, it

07:15can really affect how people see the judiciary.

07:18Now, in this particular case, what we've learned from our sources is that after these, some

07:23adverse reports had come in and reached the top court judges, the Supreme Court Collegium

07:28and the CJI, they decided to hold an urgent meeting last evening to discuss this issue.

07:35And after that, they did unanimously decide to recommend his transfer.

07:40So they have recommended transfer of Justice Verma back to the judiciary.

07:44Tell me quickly also about, I'm curious, what happened?

07:47Because this was a troublesome time, it was a fire at his house, and that led to another

07:52trouble for him.

07:53Well, yes, definitely, and we'll be getting more details as to what specifically transpired

08:02as far as that particular incident at his house is concerned.

08:06But when these adverse reports, we know, reached the Collegium, they definitely have taken

08:11it very seriously.

08:12And they have decided to transfer.

08:13Now, this transfer is also subject to approval that has to come in from the central government.

08:21We've also learned that an in-house inquiry is being contemplated.

08:25It hasn't been decided, but it is something that the CJI can consider and, you know, direct.

08:31As for now, only a transfer has been recommended.

08:34Eventually, what happens is, will the Supreme Court Collegium decide to take a stricter

08:38view and also, you know, ask him to resign or start an in-house inquiry?

08:44In this case, it's something that we'll have to see because the allegations are definitely

08:48very serious.

08:49Okay.

08:50Cracking all the latest on that, there was a fire, a blaze at his house, likely emergency

08:54services, police came in only to find a bigger fire or a bigger smoke, so to say, when it

09:00came to piles of cash from his residence, leading to his immediate transfer by the Collegium.

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