CJI Sanjiv Khanna launched an extraordinary three-person internal investigation into Varma’s actions on March 22.
On Friday, the Supreme Court is set to hear a plea seeking a directive to the Delhi Police to register an FIR regarding the alleged discovery of cash at the official residence of High Court judge Yashwant Varma.
According to the Supreme Court’s cause list for Friday, a bench comprising Justices Abhay S Oka and Ujjal Bhuyan is scheduled to take up the matter. Earlier, a bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna had declined an urgent hearing when lawyer Mathews J Nedumpara mentioned the plea.
The petition, filed by Nedumpara and three others on Sunday, seeks a direction to the police to initiate criminal proceedings in the case. It also challenges the 1991 judgment in the K Veeraswami case, in which the Supreme Court ruled that criminal proceedings against a High Court or Supreme Court judge could not be initiated without prior approval from the Chief Justice of India.
On March 22, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna launched an unprecedented three-member in-house inquiry into the conduct of Justice Varma. This internal judicial inquiry, separate from the constitutional process of impeachment, is being conducted by Chief Justice of Punjab & 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 three-member panel visited Justice Varma’s residence on Tuesday to commence their inquiry and met Delhi Fire Services chief Atul Garg two days later.
Amid the controversy, the Supreme Court Collegium has recommended Justice Varma’s repatriation to his parent Allahabad High Court. The Delhi High Court had already de-rostered him following a directive from the Chief Justice of India.
Meanwhile, lawyers from the Allahabad High Court have been protesting against Justice Varma’s transfer. Their strike has effectively halted judicial proceedings at the High Court, with the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (AHCBA) announcing that the strike would continue on Friday.
The All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) has called upon Muslims to wear black armbands on their right arms during Juma prayers on the last Friday of Ramzan as a symbol of protest against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. AIMPLB General Secretary Maulana Mohammed Fazlur Rahim Mujaddidi issued a video appeal on the Board’s social media handle.
Earlier, on Sunday, the AIMPLB had announced a nationwide agitation against the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, 2024, with large sit-ins planned in front of state assemblies in Patna and Vijayawada on March 26 and 29 as part of the first phase of protests. Political parties, including the RJD, have joined the demonstrations in Patna. Jan Suraaj Party founder Prashant Kishor, who has been working to engage the minority community with electoral promises, also attended but did not speak at the event.
Major rallies are planned in Hyderabad, Mumbai, Kolkata, Bengaluru, Malerkotla (Punjab), and Ranchi, according to an AIMPLB statement. The Board’s announcement regarding black armbands follows the submission of a report by Parliament’s joint committee on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill. While the bill has not yet been listed for discussion, there is speculation that it could be introduced for passage during the ongoing Budget Session of Parliament.
The 31-member parliamentary panel, after multiple hearings and deliberations, has proposed several amendments to the bill. However, opposition members have expressed their dissent and submitted separate notes. The proposed legislation aims to significantly change the existing Waqf law by shifting governance authority from Waqf Boards and Tribunals—primarily managed by the Muslim community—to state governments.
