During the Holi holidays, firefighters who had arrived after a small fire was reported at the bungalow of a sitting judge of Delhi High Court, were surprised to find huge amounts of cash. The firefighters alerted the police. The news created a stir in the power corridors and finally the collegium led by CJI Sanjeev Khanna issued a transfer order for the said High Court judge.
As per reports, Justice Yashwant Varma was not in town when the fire incident happened. his family members alerted the fire brigade and when the fire brigade managed to douse the fire and entered the bungalow, they found a huge pile of cash in one of the rooms. The firefighters alerted the police and the cops then alerted the top law enforcement officials.
Eventually, CJI Sanjeev Khanna was alerted of the situation and he called for a collegium meeting immediately. The collegium decided to transfer Justice Varma to another high court. Times of India has reported that some members of the collegium feel that a mere transfer order is not enough and the HC judge should face an enquiry.
Under current norms, the colegium alone decides whether the judge will face an in-house enquiry and if the misconduct are of a serious nature, the CJI can write to the government to initiate removal proceedings in the parliament.l
