Supreme Court Administration Refuses To Give In-House Committee Report And Letter To PM Regarding Justice Yashwant Varma Under RTI
The Supreme Court administration has rejected a plea seeking a report of the Apex Court-appointed committee, which indicted Allahabad High Court Judge – Justice Yashwant Varma in the cash discovery row, under the Right to Information Act, 2005 (RTI Act).
The RTI application had also sought the communication of the then Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the matter.
“Chief Justice of India, in terms of the in-house procedure, has written to President of India and the Prime Minister of India enclosing therewith copy of the three-member committee report dated May 3 along with the letter/response dated May 6 received from Justice Yashwant Varma”, the Supreme Court in a statement dated May 8.
The administration referred to the confidentiality of the communication and rejected the RTI application on grounds that it may violate parliamentary privilege also.
Earlier this month, the then CJI Khanna had written to the President and the Prime Minister besides sharing the report of the committee along with the response received from Justice Varma. Now, it is up to the executive and Parliament to decide the future course of action.
The in-house procedure entails that the CJI writes to President and the Prime Minister for impeachment after the advice to the judge to resign is not complied with.
The Supreme Court-appointed panel confirmed the cash discovery allegations against Justice Varma in its inquiry report.
The three-member panel comprised of Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, Himachal Pradesh High Court Chief Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court and the report was finalised on May 3.
The panel analysed evidence and recorded the statements of over 50 people, including Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and Delhi Fire Service chief who were among the first responders to the fire incident at Justice Varma’s official residence in Lutyen’s Delhi at 11.35 pm on March 14 this year. Justice Varma was a judge of the Delhi High Court at that time. Such an allegation was repeatedly denied by Justice Varma in his response to the Delhi High Court Chief Justice and to the Supreme Court’s appointed panel.
The controversy erupted following a news report in the cash discovery row and led to several steps, including a preliminary inquiry by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya, judicial work being taken away from Justice Varma in the Delhi High Court, and later his transfer to the Allahabad High Court sans judicial work.
On March 24, the Supreme Court Collegium recommended the repatriation of Justice Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court and thereafter, the Court asked the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial work for now to Justice Varma.
With PTI Inputs
