Dhankhar’s comments were made on the same day that a three-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court visited Justice Varma’s home in the afternoon to begin investigating his actions.
Amid the controversy surrounding the discovery of large sums of currency notes at the New Delhi residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar commented on Tuesday that the situation might have been different if the Supreme Court had not struck down the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, which was passed by Parliament in 2014.
Dhankhar also convened a meeting with floor leaders of various parties to discuss the issue. His remarks coincided with the commencement of an inquiry by a three-member committee appointed by the Supreme Court to investigate Justice Varma’s conduct. The committee visited his residence in the afternoon as part of its probe.
The inquiry panel consists of Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court Justice G S Sandhawalia, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of Karnataka High Court. The members arrived at Justice Varma’s residence in Tughlak Crescent around 1:30 pm and departed after approximately 45 minutes.
During the day, the committee members also met with Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.
On Monday, the Supreme Court Collegium finalized its recommendation to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court. Sources revealed that the views of other judges and Justice Varma’s response were considered before making the decision. Justice Varma reportedly expressed his willingness to accept the transfer.
