Should Not Comment on Court Affairs: BJP on Judge Burning Cash Scam

New Delhi: As India's biggest judicial corruption scam sends shockwaves across the country, the Bharatiya Janata Party on Friday responded cautiously to the discovery of a large sum of cash at a Delhi High Court judge's residence, stating that the party would refrain from commenting on the affairs of court and that the Chief Justice of India was already addressing the issue.

The cash was found at Justice Varma’s residence after a fire erupted there during the Holi weekend last week.

BJP 's Sambit Patra on Judicial Corruption Scam

BJP leader and spokesperson, Sambit Patra, cited media reports suggesting that the Chief Justice of India (CJI) had made a decision on the matter.

He added that this case has drawn public attention to the higher judiciary, following a newspaper report that firefighters and police discovered a large sum of cash at Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma's residence while attempting to extinguish a fire.

However, BJP’s IT Cell chief Amit Malviya has alleged that Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court, who is under fire after a huge pile of cash was allegedly recovered from his bungalow in Delhi, had previously "halted the CBI investigation into corruption allegations against Jharkhand Mukti Morcha leader Shibu Soren, as directed by the Lokpal." 

Also Read: Justice Yashwant Varma Halted CBI Investigation Into Corruption Allegations Against Shibu Soren, Claims Amit Malviya

Former Jharkhand chief minister Soren is facing corruption allegations and his party, Jharkhand Mukti Morcha (JMM), now led by his son Hemant Soren, is part of the opposition INDI bloc.

SC Initiates In-House Inquiry

The Supreme Court collegium initiated an in-house inquiry into Justice Yashwant Verma on Friday after ten crore rupees in unaccounted cash was recovered from his residence.

Following the incident, the five-member collegium, led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, held an emergency meeting and decided to recommend Justice Verma’s transfer. However, the transfer can only be finalized after receiving approval from the Centre, and the official recommendation has yet to be submitted.

The unaccounted cash was discovered after a fire broke out at Justice Verma’s residence on the night of March 14. At the time, Justice Verma and his wife were in Bhopal, while their daughter and staff called the fire department. When authorities arrived, they reportedly found a significant amount of cash in his outhouse.