Delhi Judge Burning Cash Scam: War Breaks Out in Legal Circle Over Yashwant Varma's Transfer

Both incorruptibility and righteousness are fundamental values in the system, which have actually torpedoed. Once they are torpedoed, the credibility of the system collapses and the power of the system dwindles: Aman Lekhi, Senior Advocate, Top Criminal Lawyer
 

The protection given to the judges under the Veeraswami judgement deserves to be withdrawn and this is one of the reasons why corruption has reached such an extent: Satish Maneshinde, Advocate Bombay High Court

"Allegations like these will destroy public faith in judiciary. If people feel judges can't be trusted, that would be the end of democracy:" Harish Salve, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India and King's Counsel, UK

I have been a trenchant critique of the collegium system and this exposes yet another strong fault line: Harish Salve, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India and King's Counsel, UK after fire at Justice Yashwant Varma's house led to cash recovery and CJI Collegium transferred him to Allahabad HC

Parliament must discuss this case. I want those I voted for to sit together, make a law and fix this: Harish Salve, Senior Advocate, Supreme Court of India and King's Counsel, UK questions transferring Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma

Should Be Asked To Resign: Former SCBA Prez Vikas Singh On Justice Varma Cash Stack

"It is a very serious matter because people have their trust in the functioning of the judiciary and if this kind of cash is discovered in the residence of a judge and if there is no explanation forthcoming then this has to be taken very seriously. Transferring is not a solution. First, there should be an in-house inquiry. He should be asked to resign and not hold court. It shakes the credibility of the judiciary."

Misinformation, rumours being spread over incident at official residence of Delhi HC's Justice Yashwant Varma: Supreme Court

What has been done is wrong at so many levels because that is double standards. If you are convinced that there is a prima facie case for an inquiry, then the only action must be suspension from judicial office: Harish Salve, Senior Advocate Supreme Court of India and King's Counsel, UK after fire at Delhi HC judge's house leads to recovery of cash pile, CJI Collegium transfers him to Allahabad HC

Supreme Court Collegium comes under attack from Allahabad High Court after firefighters at Delhi HC Judge's bungalow find cash pile and CJI Collegium transfers him to Allahabad HC

"CJI Sanjeev Khanna has made a terrible mistake...The people of this country cannot be quiet. The faith of the people in the Supreme Court is being eroded. This has become a huge public matter now," says Arnab 

"Are we a trash bin? We demand impeachment, he has corruption charges against him?: Vikrant Pandey, Secretary, Bar Association Allahabad HC criticises SC collegium's decision to transfer Yashwant Varma to Allahabad HC  

In a hard-hitting, no-holds-barred interview, Senior Advocate of the Supreme Court and King’s Counsel, UK, Harish Salve spoke exclusively with Republic Media Network’s Editor-in-Chief on India’s biggest judicial corruption scandal. After a large amount of unaccounted cash was found at Justice Yashwant Verma’s residence on March 14, following a fire, Salve launched a scathing attack on the system, demanding accountability and urgent reforms. With the nation’s attention on the case, he exposed deep flaws within the judiciary, calling for immediate action to restore its integrity.

On SC Collegium recommending transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma of Delhi HC to his parent High Court in Allahabad after an adverse report against him, Vikrant Pandey, Secretary, Allahabad High Court Bar Association says "There has been a charge on Yashwant Varma. A huge amount of cash has been recovered from his residence; this is what we got to know from the media. The Bar will not accept him here at any cost. We have called a general house on 24th March at 1 PM to where we will speak with the remaining advocates of Allahabad High Court, and we are going to strongly protest against this..."

On SC Collegium recommending transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma of Delhi HC to his parent High Court in Allahabad after an adverse report against him, Retired Justice SN Dhingra says "What is there to say in this. Corruption in Judiciary is well known. Not just from today but from a long time. Action should be taken on this; they are also aware of it, but no such measure has been taken to correct it and to remove corruption. Till date, corruption is increasing and the common man has to bear the brunt of it...First of all, there are no rules for the judges of High Court and Supreme Court. When currency notes were caught in this, the Supreme Court should have immediately taken permission to register an FIR. Just like an FIR is lodged against a common man, similarly permission should be given to lodge an FIR against a judge and further action should be taken along with it. The Supreme Court should have done this..."

"The CJI should appoint an in-house committee consisted by one siting SC judge, two HC chief justices and a time frame should be given within which the report should be placed," says Senior Advocate KK Manan

The Rajya Sabha witnessed a huge uproar over the alleged recovery of cash from the residence of a sitting Delhi High Court judge. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar assured members that he would look into ways to facilitate a structured debate on the issue.

Huge controversy has erupted after a fire that broken out at the residential bungalow of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma led to an accidental recovery of a huge pile of cash. 

The Supreme Court collegium on Friday, launched an in-house inquiry into Justice Yashwant Verma following the recovery of cash piles from his residence.

Supreme Court Collegium's Decision To Transfer Justice Varma Challenged By Allahabad High Court Bar Association

"I want those who I am voted for to sit together, make a law and fix this"

"A fresh constitutional amendment with political unity is needed to get rid of this system. If there is a challenge, it has to be dealt with robustly "

"This is a case which I wish a democracy never had seen. The allegation of cash recovery is in public gaze, so it has to addressed in public gaze"
 

The system has to react to this challenge - the challenge is to the CJI, the challenge is to the Government. I have always said the responsibility of maintaining judicial system standards cannot be left to judges alone

“There should be an appropriate way of conducting the enquiry...impeachment has to follow”

The transfer is not a response which is acceptable. If a person is being transferred because you prima facie believe that there is something to be investigated, then you are shifting a problem from Court A to Court B

“This is double standards. If you are convinced about the allegations of the recovery of cash, enough to take some action and the only action is suspension from judicial office and an immediate enquiry by a fair and impartial body”

"If the people of India feels that the judges are not to be trusted, that will be the end of democracy in India"

"Who is going to conduct the inquiry? You don't have rules, you don't have a judicial accountability commission"

AAP Appoints Saurabh Bhardwaj as State Convenor for Delhi

Justice Harish Tandon has been appointed as the new Chief Justice of the Orissa High Court, as announced by the law ministry on Friday. Currently serving as a judge in the Calcutta High Court, his elevation was recommended earlier this month by the Supreme Court collegium.

The Rajya Sabha on Friday witnessed discussions over the alleged recovery of cash from the residence of a sitting Delhi High Court judge. Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar assured members that he would explore mechanisms for a structured debate on the matter.

During the morning session, Congress MP Jairam Ramesh raised concerns about judicial accountability, referencing a pending notice regarding the impeachment of an Allahabad High Court judge. Highlighting the gravity of the situation, Ramesh remarked on reports of significant cash being discovered at the judge's residence. He also reminded the Chair of a previous notice submitted by 50 MPs concerning controversial remarks made by the Allahabad High Court judge.

Ramesh emphasized the need for urgent judicial accountability, a sentiment echoed by the Chairman in past discussions.

The North American Punjabi Association (NAPA) has expressed strong criticism of the Punjab government for the detention of "innocent farmers" following their meeting with three Union ministers in Chandigarh. These arrests, occurring shortly after the seventh round of talks between farmer leaders and the central delegation, have ignited widespread outrage. Satnam Singh Chahal, NAPA's executive director, condemned the actions in a statement, describing them as "unfortunate" and "distressing." He emphasized that such treatment reflects a growing disregard for the rights and welfare of farmers, who are considered the backbone of the nation's economy.

A "new dawn" in Pakistan-India relations can emerge by enhancing mutual understanding, addressing shared concerns and resolving "longstanding disputes", including the Kashmir issue, Pakistani Charge d'Affaires Saad Ahmad Warraich has said.The comments by the Pakistani envoy came days after Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a podcast that every attempt to foster peace with Pakistan was met with hostility and betrayal and that he hoped wisdom would prevail on the leadership in Islamabad to improve bilateral ties.

Two days after Punjab police cleared the Sambhu and Khanauri border and removed the temporary structures erected by the protesting farmers, state's Agriculture minister Gurmeet Singh Khuddian called for meeting of leaders of Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) and Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) in Chandigarh on Friday.

The meeting will be held in Punjab Bhawan at 4 PM on Friday, according to the notice released by the agriculture department on March 20.

DMK Passed Resolution for Fair Delimitation 

Deputy Chief Minister of Karnataka, DK Shivakumar, is set to arrive in Chennai tonight to attend the crucial delimitation meeting organized by Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin. The meeting aims to address concerns over the proposed delimitation exercise, which has sparked debates about its impact on state autonomy and federalism.

Meanwhile, the BJP has announced plans to stage a black flag protest against DK Shivakumar's arrival. 

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has shut down its party's office unit on the Androth Island of Lakshadweep.

Senior BJP leaders, during their recent visit to Kavaratti, informed that the party's office in Androth has been closed since March 1 this year, following oral instructions from the party's state unit president, KN Kasmikoya.
The reason cited for the closure, however, remains unclear.

An encounter broke out between police and criminals in Maner area of Patna district in Bihar on Friday morning.

A team of Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) has reached the spot to carry out inspection.
Earlier today, a police encounter in Patna led to the injury of wanted criminal Sonu Kumar, who is accused of multiple serious crimes after he and his associates opened fire on the police team attempting to apprehend him, police officials confirmed.
 

The Hinjewadi minibus fire incident, which claimed four lives and injured six others, was a deliberate act of revenge by the driver, police said.

Speaking to ANI, Senior Police Inspector Kanhaiya Thorat said, that the bus driver deliberately set the vehicle ablaze as he harboured grievances against his colleagues and orchestrated the incident as an act of revenge.

External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar welcomed Commonwealth Secretary General-elect and former Ghanaian Foreign Minister Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey, and shared India's expectation that the Commonwealth should be more reflective of its members' views.

In a post on X, he said, "Pleased to welcome Commonwealth Secretary General-Elect and former FM Shirley Ayorkor Botchwey this evening. Shared India's approach to the Commonwealth, voicing the expectation that it would become more purposeful, contemporary, efficient, transparent and reflective of its members' views."  

In a shocking development in the Hinjawadi bus fire incident, in which four people were charred to death, it has come to light that the driver, identified as Janardan Hambardikar, had allegedly "pre-meditated" the incident, a senior police official of Pimpri Chinchwad said on Thursday.

According to Senior Police Inspector Kanhaiya Thorat of the Hinjawadi Police Station, Hambardikar allegedly placed highly inflammable chemicals under his seat and deliberately set the vehicle ablaze, attempting to disguise it as an accident.
Police investigations suggest that Hambardikar harboured grievances against his colleagues and was enraged over not receiving his salary on time, the lack of a Diwali bonus, extra work, and daily disputes with his co-workers. This led him to orchestrate the incident as an act of revenge.