New Delhi:
The centre on Tuesday reached out to all political parties on the issue of cash found at the home of a Delhi High Court judge – Justice Yashwant Varma. Sources said the centre wants to hear the views of all parties – whether part of the union government or not – on this sensitive issue.
The all-party call came after Rajya Sabha Chairperson Jagdeep Dhankhar’s meeting earlier today with the floor leaders of various parties, including the Congress, Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee’s Trinamool, Tamil Nadu’s ruling DMK, the BJD from Odisha, the BRS and YSRCP from Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, and the Uddhav Thackeray-led Shiv Sena faction.
Union Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal also attended this meeting, after which floor leaders were told to discuss the issue with their respective parties ahead of another meeting.
Meanwhile, centre will decide on its next steps after the all-party meet.
The row over Justice Varma – whom the Supreme Court this week directed return to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court – broke after burnt bundles of cash were found, by firefighters called to battle a blaze on Holi – in an outhouse on the grounds of his bungalow in central Delhi.
Justice Varma has denied any connection between himself or his family and the money, and has pointed out the outhouse is kept unlocked and can be accessed by anyone in the compound.
The Supreme Court has set up a three-member committee of the chief justices of the Himachal Pradesh, Haryana and Punjab, and Karnataka high courts to hold an in-house inquiry.
The court also de-linked Justice Varma’s transfer from the discovery of the cash.
Justice Varma has been withdrawn from active judicial duty.
The top court has also, in the interests of transparency, made a Delhi High Court report on this issue fully public, with the exception of certain names being redacted.
The entire issue – made murkier by Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg first appearing to say no money was found and then saying he had made no such statement – has been questioned by senior lawyers and legal luminaries, including ex-Attorney-General Mukul Rohatgi, who told NDTV there is a need to streamline protocol for disciplinary actions against sitting judges.