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Indian Express
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Indian Express
‘I am a concerned man… citadel is tottering': Dhankar for FIR into cash recovery at judge's residence
Vice president Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said he hoped an FIR will be registered with regard to the recovery of a large stash of cash at a judge's official residence in New Delhi in March this year. Addressing students at National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi, Dhankhar said, 'I am a concerned man. Whether this is an incident in isolation or there are other similar incidents.'' Dhankhar said equality before law means every crime must be investigated. 'If the money is so huge in volume, we have to find out: is it tainted money? What is the source of this money? How was it stocked in the official residence of a judge? It belonged to whom?' 'Find out those who are culpable. Bring them to justice… So far, there has been no FIR. The government at the central level is handicapped because an FIR cannot be registered in view of a judgment of the Supreme Court rendered in the early '90s.'' Observing that several penal provisions are violated in the process, he said, 'I do hope an FIR will be registered. 'We must go to the root of the matter. Our judiciary, in which people's faith is unshakable, its very foundations have been shaken.'' Dhankhar's statement comes amid reports that Justice Yashwant Varma was facing an impeachment in Parliament after an unspecified amount of cash was found at his official residence following a fire in March this year. Justice Varma has denied all allegations and submitted responses to both the Delhi High Court Chief Justice and a Supreme Court-appointed panel. The Vice President likened the recovery of cash from the judge's residence to the 'Ides of March' — a reference to Shakespeare's famous play Julius Caesar and a symbol of looming misfortune. 'Our judiciary faced its own Ides of March on the night intervening March 14th and 15th… There was cash in large quantity at the residence of a judge. I say so because it is now in public domain, officially put up by the Supreme Court… Now the point is, if cash was found, the system should have moved immediately and the first process would have been to deal with it as a criminal act,'' said Dhankhar. He said the 'citadel is tottering' because of this incident and hence the issue must be examined. The Vice President, who said he was of the view that judges should be protected from frivolous litigations, also expressed his concern over the delay in revealing the recovery of the cash. 'Some things are worrisome… It was only after about seven days that we came to know about this ghastly crime.' Referring to judges taking up assignments after retirement, he said, 'Now we have post-retirement posts for judges. Not all can be accommodated…. There is pick and choose. When there is pick and choose, there is patronage. It is seriously impairing our judiciary.''
NDTV
07-07-2025
- Politics
- NDTV
Vice President Warns Of 'Ides Of March' For Judiciary After Cash-At-Home Row
Kochi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said he hopes a criminal investigation will be launched into the large stash of cash found at a judge's official residence in New Delhi, comparing the incident to the "Ides of March" -- a reference to Shakespeare's Julius Caesar and a symbol of looming misfortune. Referring to the incident, he said now the point is, if that cash was found, the system should have moved immediately and the first process would have been to deal with it as a criminal act, find out those who are culpable and bring them to justice. While interacting with the students and faculty members at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), the Vice President likened the cash discovered at the High Court judge's residence to the "Ides of March." He said the judiciary faced its own "Ides of March" on the night of March 14-15, when large amounts of cash were officially acknowledged to have been found, yet no FIR was filed. Dhankhar stressed that the system should have treated it as a criminal matter from the start, but added that the Centre is currently constrained by a Supreme Court ruling from the early 1990s. "But so far, there has been no FIR. The government at the central level is handicapped because an FIR cannot be registered in view of a judgment of the Supreme Court rendered in early 90s," he said. The Vice President said the world looks at India as a mature democracy where there has to be rule of law, equality before law, which means every crime must be investigated. "If the money is so huge in volume, we have to find out: is it tainted money? What is the source of this money? How was it stacked in the official residence of a judge? Who did it belong to? Several penal provisions are violated in the process. I do hope an FIR will be registered," he said. "We must go to the root of the matter. Our judiciary -in which people's faith is unshakable- its very foundations have been shaken. The citadel is tottering because of this incident," Dhankar added. His statement comes amidst reports that Justice Yashwant Varma was facing an impeachment in Parliament after an unspecified amount of money was found in his official residence following a fire. Justice Varma has denied all allegations and submitted responses to both the Delhi High Court Chief Justice and a Supreme Court-appointed panel. Despite this, judicial work was withdrawn from him, and he was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court, where the Chief Justice was directed by the top court not to assign him any judicial duties for the time being. The panel investigating the incident has recorded statements from over 50 people, including Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg, who were among the first responders. During his interaction, Dhankar also said the judiciary in the country commands immense trust and respect of the people. "People believe in the judiciary like in no other institution. If their faith in the institution is eroded, we will be faced with a grim situation. A nation of 1.4 billion will suffer," the Vice President said. Dhankar said he was aghast that a functionary of the executive like the CBI director is appointed with the participation of Chief Justice of India. "Is this happening elsewhere in the world? Can it happen under our constitutional scheme? Why should an appointment of the executive be made by anyone else other than the executive?," he asked. Noting that the CBI director is not the senior most person in the hierarchy, the Vice President said he has above him the CVC, Cabinet Secretary, all Secretaries. "After all, he's heading a department," he said. He said if one institution -- the Judiciary, the Executive, or the Legislature -- makes an incursion into the domain of the other, it has the potential to upset the apple cart. "It can create unmanageable problems that can be potentially very dangerous for our democracy. For example, adjudication has to take place within the Judiciary. Judgments are to be scripted by the Judiciary -- not by the Legislature or the Executive. "Similarly, executive functions are performed by the Executive, because you elect the political executive through elections. They are accountable to you. They have to perform. But if executive functions are done by the Legislature or the Judiciary-- that will be antithetical to the essence and spirit of the Doctrine of Separation of Powers," the Vice President said. Dhankar said there had been turbulent times in the judiciary recently. "But the soothing thing is that a big change has taken place. We are seeing good times now for the judiciary. The present Chief Justice and his immediate predecessor give us a new era of accountability and transparency. They are getting things back on the rails," he said. However, the last two years were very disturbing and challenging, the Vice President said. "Thoughtlessly, several steps were taken; it will take a while to undo them. It is fundamental that institutions function with optimal performance," he added.
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
'Centre Is Handicapped': VP Dhankhar Warns Of 'Ides Of March' In Judge Cash-At-Home Row
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar reiterated Justice Yashwant Varma's case and said that the government was handicapped due to a three-decade-old judicial order that prevented it from registering a First Information Report (FIR) without prior permission from the judiciary. Dhankhar, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, has interacted with students and faculty at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi. He stressed that several legal provisions appear to have been violated and expressed hope that an FIR would be filed promptly. Referring to Ides of March film, the Vice President said that the judiciary had 'Ides of March' on the night intervening 14th and 15th March.#vpdhankhar #justiceyashwantvarma #cashscandal #judiciary #impeachment #judicialaccountability #idesofmarch #indiapolitics #toi #toibharat Read More
Time of India
07-07-2025
- Politics
- Time of India
Judge cash-at-home row: VP Jagdeep Dhankhar says Centre 'handicapped' to act; refers to Ides of March
VP Jagdeep Dhankhar (File Image) NEW DELHI: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar reiterated Justice Yashwant Varma's case and said that the government was handicapped due to a three-decade-old judicial order that prevented it from registering a First Information Report (FIR) without prior permission from the judiciary. Dhankhar, who is on a two-day visit to Kerala, has interacted with students and faculty at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Kochi. Calling the Yashwant Varma cash-at-home case 'ghastly crime,' Dhankhar referring to the large stash of cash recovered from a judge's official residence, he questioned, 'Is this money tainted? What is its source? How did it land in a judge's quarters? Who does it actually belong to?' He stressed that several legal provisions appear to have been violated and expressed hope that an FIR would be filed promptly. Referring to Ides of March film, the Vice President said that the judiciary had 'Ides of March' on the night intervening 14th and 15th March: a terrible time! "Cash in large amount was found the official residence of a judge of the High Court. Now, if that cash was found, the system should have moved immediately and the first process would have been to deal with it as a criminal act, find out those who are culpable and bring them to justice. But so far, there has been no FIR," Dhankhar said. "The government at the central level is handicapped because an FIR cannot be registered in view of a judgment of the Supreme Court rendered in early 90s. I'm all for independence of Judiciary. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Show Off Your Talent: Enter the Ultimate Creator Contest! Tocsin Media & Marketing LLC Undo I'm a strong votary of protecting judges. We must protect our Judges from frivolous litigation. But when something like this happens, it is worrisome," he added. Earlier, on June 4, parliamentary affairs minister Kiren Rijiju said the government would bring out a resolution in Parliament in the monsoon session for impeachment motion against Justice Varma. Justice Varma was subject of a probe by a Supreme Court-appointed panel after a fire incident at his Delhi residence led to the discovery of several burnt sacks of cash at the outhouse.
News18
07-07-2025
- Politics
- News18
‘Whose Money Is This? Asks VP Dhankhar Amid Justice Varma's Impeachment Talks
Last Updated: VP Jagdeep Dhankha stressed the need for an FIR in the case involve Justice Varma and expressed concerns over judges' post-retirement roles As Parliament mulls impeaching Justice Yashwant Varma, Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday said that every crime must be investigated and asked about the source of the money allegedly recovered from the Supreme Court judge's residence in New Delhi. Interacting with the students and faculty members at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) today, the Vice President said there has been no FIR in the case and hoped that it would be registered for the police to investigate the matter. 'If the money is so huge in volume, we have to find out: Is it tainted money? What is the source of this money? How was it stocked in the official residence of a judge? Whom did it belong to? Several penal provisions are violated in the process. I do hope an FIR will be registered. We must go to the root of the matter because, for democracy, it matters that our judiciary, in whom the faith is unshakable — its very foundations have been shaken," he said. Dhankhar said the judiciary in India commands immense trust and immense respect from the people, but if people's faith is eroded, the country will be faced with a grim situation. Expressing his concern over post-retirement assignments for judges, he emphasised, 'Certain constitutional authorities are not permitted to hold assignments after their office — like a Public Service Commission member cannot take any assignment under the government. The CAG can't take that assignment. The Chief Election Commissioner and Election Commissioners can't take that assignment because they must be free, not subjected to allurements and temptations. This was not the case for judges. Why? Because judges were expected to be totally away from it. And now we have post-retirement posts for judges. Am I right? And not all can be accommodated — only some can be accommodated. So when you can't accommodate all, and you accommodate some, there is pick and choose. When there is pick and choose, there is patronage. It is seriously impairing our judiciary." A fire incident at Justice Varma's residence in the national capital in March, when he was a judge at the Delhi High Court, had led to the discovery of several burnt sacks of banknotes in the outhouse. Though the judge claimed ignorance about the cash, the Supreme Court-appointed committee indicted him after speaking to a number of witnesses and recording his statement. Then-CJI Sanjiv Khanna is believed to have prodded him to resign, but Justice Varma dug in his heels. The apex court has since repatriated him to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court, where he has not been assigned any judicial work.
