Now Reading: Lawyers group seeks FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma over cash
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Lawyers group seeks FIR against Justice Yashwant Varma over cash
The Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform (CJAR) has urged the Chief Justice of India to direct the Delhi Police to register an FIR against former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant…
The Campaign for Judicial Accountability and Reform (CJAR) has urged the Chief Justice of India to direct the Delhi Police to register an FIR against former Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma over unaccounted cash found at his official residence. The advocacy group, comprising lawyers and activists, said the charges proved against him go beyond misconduct under the Judges Inquiry Act and could also attract criminal proceedings.
A three-member inquiry committee had earlier found all three articles of charge against Justice Varma proved, calling his explanation about the cash "evasive" and "misleading". CJAR argued that after his resignation, Justice Varma no longer enjoys the protection of the Veeraswami judgement, so no permission from the CJI is required for an FIR. However, since no FIR has been filed yet, the group has asked the CJI to direct one.
CJAR also supported the tabling of the committee's report despite Justice Varma's resignation, calling it a move for transparency. It questioned why the Allahabad High Court website still lists Justice Varma as a sitting judge.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The Veeraswami judgement (1991) had required prior CJI permission to register an FIR against a sitting judge, but that protection lapses upon resignation. The key legal question now is whether criminal proceedings can proceed without the in-house inquiry being formally adopted by Parliament, since the judge resigned before impeachment. This case echoes the 2011 PD Dinakaran episode, where proceedings ended after resignation. The outcome will set a precedent on whether resigning judges can escape criminal liability. Watch for the CJI's response and whether the Delhi Police registers an FIR.
Source: hindustantimes.com
This story was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
