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.
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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.