Parliamentary panel asks why no FIR lodged in recovery of unaccounted cash at Justice Varma's house
During a meeting of the Parliamentary Committee on Personnel, Public Grievances, Law and Justice, MPs of various parties raised the issue and posed several questions to the Ministry of Law and Justice on what it was doing in the matters raised concerning the judiciary.
The MPs also demanded a code of conduct for judges, and justices in the higher judiciary should not take up government assignments till a period of five years post-retirement, they said.
New Delhi, Jun 24 (PTI) Several MPs at a Parliamentary panel meeting on Tuesday asked why no FIR has been lodged over the recovery of unaccounted cash from a high court judge's residence here and told the Department of Justice to prepare a detailed note on the matter, sources said.
Sources said the secretary in the Department of Justice, who made a presentation on 'Judicial processes and their reform' concerning issues of Code of Conduct for the judges of higher judiciary and taking up post-retirement assignments by judges', was asked to prepare a comprehensive report on the issues raised and told to present it at the next panel meeting.
They add that the members also sought a comprehensive bill addressing various issues and concerns on ethics and code of conduct of judges which were raised by them during the meeting.
The MPs sought to know why no action had been taken on the matter concerning the recovery of unaccounted cash from the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma and demanded a code of conduct should be in place.
Some MPs also asked why no motion to remove Justice Varma has been moved so far.
Sources said some demanded that justice should be equitable since a government employee may lose his/her job over a small corruption issue but no action has been initiated against a senior member of the judiciary even after the recovery of unaccounted cash.
MPs of several parties also demanded that the government should have brought a motion by now to remove the judge concerned, especially after a Supreme Court-appointed committee of judges found the recovery of cash to be true.
After the cash recovery, Justice Varma was repatriated to his parent court — the Allahabad High Court. He has denied the charges against him.
The MPs also deliberated upon post-retirement assignments of judges and said they should not get such appointments till a period of five years after their retirement.
Some MPs also said that former judges should not be appointed as MPs or to any other assignments by the President of India immediately post-retirement.
The committee of the Rajya Sabha is headed by BJP MP Brij Lal and has former Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, who is a nominated MP, former minister of state for law P P Chaudhary, TMC MPs Sukhendu Sekhar Ray and Kalyan Banerjee, Congress's Vivek Tankha, and DMK's P Wilson and A Raja as its key members.
Former CJI Ranjan Gogoi did not attend Tuesday's meeting. PTI SKC SKC NSD NSD
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
CJI Gavai: Identifying creamy layer in SC/ST was my path-breaking ruling on a PIL
Nagpur: Chief Justice of India Bhushan Gavai on Saturday said one of the most defining moments of his judicial career was Supreme Court's recognition of the need to apply the "creamy layer" principle within Scheduled Castes (SC) and Scheduled Tribes (ST), describing it essential to refine the concept of social justice. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now In an exclusive interaction with The Times of India at Raj Bhavan during his Nagpur visit, the CJI said, "Treating children of high-ranking SC/ST officers at par with those from truly disadvantaged families dilutes the purpose of affirmative action. Identifying the creamy layer ensures that benefits reach the most deserving." The observation was part of a PIL-based ruling in which the apex court allowed sub-categorisation within SC/ST groups to ensure equitable distribution of reservation benefits. Justice Gavai, the second Dalit and first Buddhist to serve as CJI, also cautioned against judicial overreach, emphasising that all institutions must function within constitutional boundaries. "Judicial activism will stay, but it should not turn into judicial adventurism or judicial terrorism. Parliament enacts laws, the executive implements them, and the judiciary ensures compliance with the Constitution. Overstepping by any branch disturbs this balance," he said. "The Constitution is not just a legal document, it is a tool for social transformation. It has withstood global and domestic upheavals due to its strong foundation," he said. Appointed as the 52nd Chief Justice on May 14 for a six-month term, Gavai made it clear he will not accept any post-retirement assignments. "It's a matter of personal principle," he said, adding his focus remains on reducing case pendency — over 81,000 in the Supreme Court alone — and improving infrastructure in rural courts to enhance access to justice. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now Justice Gavai authored nearly 300 judgments, including landmark rulings on Article 370, electoral bonds, demonetisation, and freedom of speech. He was also part of the five-judge bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, which he called consistent with Dr B R Ambedkar's vision of "one nation, one Constitution." He underscored the gravity of another path-breaking ruling in which the court ruled that an arbitration clause in an unstamped or insufficiently stamped contract remains valid — a significant decision for commercial law. Similarly, he was part of the bench that unanimously annulled electoral bonds scheme, calling it inconsistent with transparency in political funding. Justice Gavai also recalled how the apex court under his watch stayed the Allahabad High Court's insensitive remarks in a sexual assault case, calling it "inhuman" and reflective of judicial insensitivity. In another crucial decision, Supreme Court declared the arrest of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha illegal due to procedural lapses by Delhi Police. In his role as judge, Gavai often criticised the controversial practice of "bulldozer justice," where properties of accused individuals are demolished before a conviction. "Such actions go against constitutional protections. Punishment without trial violates every tenet of justice," he said. His views helped guide the Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court to stay demolition of properties during the Nagpur riots probe. Gavai also granted bail to former Delhi Deputy CM Manish Sisodia in the liquor policy case and was part of several benches that strengthened environmental law, wildlife conservation, and tree protection. Among the pending matters before the Court under his leadership is the challenge to the Waqf (Amendment) Act, 2025 — a politically sensitive issue with implications for property rights and minority law.
Time of India
an hour ago
- Time of India
CJI terms ‘creamy layer' ruling within SC/STs a milestone
NAGPUR: CJI Bhushan Gavai called Supreme Court's recognition of the need to apply the "creamy layer" principle within SC/STs one of the defining moments of his judicial career, describing it as essential to refining social justice. "Treating children of high-ranking SC/ST officers on a par with those from truly disadvantaged families dilutes affirmative action's purpose. Identifying the creamy layer ensures benefits reach the most deserving," he said in an exclusive interaction with TOI during his Nagpur visit Saturday. His observation came as part of a PIL ruling allowing sub-categorisation within SC/ST groups to ensure equitable distribution of reservation benefits. Gavai, appointed the 52nd CJI on May 14, also warned against judicial overreach. "Judicial activism will stay, but it should not become judicial adventurism or judicial terrorism. Parliament enacts laws, the executive implements them, and the judiciary ensures constitutional compliance. Overstepping disturbs this balance," he said. "The Constitution is not just a legal document, it is a tool for social transformation. " The second Dalit and first Buddhist CJI ruled out accepting post-retirement assignments. "It's a matter of personal principle," he said, adding his focus remains on reducing over 81,000 pending cases in SC and improving infrastructure in rural courts. He authored nearly 300 judgments, including landmark rulings on Article 370, electoral bonds, demonetisation, and freedom of speech. Gavai was part of the five-judge bench that upheld the abrogation of Article 370, calling it consistent with BR Ambedkar's vision of "one nation, one Constitution". He referred to another ruling that upheld arbitration clauses in unstamped or insufficiently stamped contracts, calling it crucial for commercial law. Gavai also helped annul the electoral bonds scheme, calling it inconsistent with transparency in political funding. On his watch, SC stayed Allahabad HC's remarks in a sexual assault case, calling them "inhuman". Gavai declared the arrest of NewsClick founder Prabir Purkayastha illegal due to procedural lapses by Delhi police.
The Print
2 hours ago
- The Print
T'gana would make efforts to create jobs by establishing IT firms in land parcel next to UoH: CM
A row had erupted over tree felling on the 400-acre land in April this year. The Supreme Court had then rapped the Telangana government over its rushed action to fell trees on the land parcel and directed it to submit a specific plan to restore the 100 acres of deforested land. He also said the government will fight in the courts to reclaim the land. Hyderabad, Jun 28 (PTI) Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy on Saturday said the state government would make efforts to generate lakhs of jobs by establishing IT companies on the 400-acre land parcel next to the University of Hyderabad here. Speaking after inaugurating a flyover here, Reddy, in a veiled attack on opposition BRS, said hurdles have been created to the state government's effort to generate five lakh jobs by developing 400 acres beside the Gachibowli stadium (adjacent to University of Hyderabad) and attracting global investments. Such hurdles are only temporary, he said. The land parcel was allocated to some private persons in 2002-03 and the state government pursued the matter in Supreme Court in 2024 and got it back for the state government, he said. 'The government would not go back because some caused hurdles. Our government will make an effort not only to set up IT companies on a large scale but to generate lakhs of jobs by getting back that land by fighting for justice not only in legislative bodies but (also) in courts,' he said. Though people elected the Congress government for five years, some are trying to stall development in the city by filing litigation in courts against the government and 'throwing mud' at those who are working for development, he said. He said lakhs of jobs have been created following the development of the Financial District and Knowledge Park in the IT hub of the city. Highlighting pollution in Delhi and the civic problems in cities, including Bengaluru and Chennai, he said Telangana should plan for addressing pollution and others in Hyderabad. The high levels of pollution in Delhi arose as rulers in the past did not make effective plans, he said. 'A situation arose in Delhi where it is difficult to live. The situation of people not being able to live in the national capital of such a big country cropped up as the then rulers did not make proper plans in Delhi,' he said. Talking about the measures taken to check pollution in Hyderabad, the CM said the government has made EV vehicles tax-free in the city. 'That's why, every EV vehicle purchased in the city, you will not have tax of even one rupee,' he said. The chief minister said the state government would request Union Home Minister Amit Shah, who is visiting Telangana on Sunday, to grant permission to projects pending with the Centre for approvals, including Metro Rail – Phase 2, Musi Rejuvenation and Regional Ring Road (RRR) projects. The CM criticised Union Minister and state BJP president G Kishan Reddy for not responding to pleas made by him repeatedly for the approval of the pending projects by the Centre. Reddy said he also visited Kishan Reddy's residence in Delhi with the requests, but they yielded no results. The CM questioned the NDA government at the Centre for not approving the projects proposed by the Telangana government. The Centre granted permissions to the Sabarmati riverfront in Gujarat, Yamuna cleaning in Delhi and Namami Gange in Uttar Pradesh but did not approve funds for the Musi project in Hyderabad, he said. The Centre has sanctioned metro rail projects in Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, but not for the expansion of the Hyderabad metro rail, he said. 'Why this discrimination,' he asked. PTI SJR SJR KH This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.
