‘Cash at judge’s house’ rocks Parliament: Rajya Sabha Chairman assures structured discussion

A shocking incident involving the alleged recovery of unaccounted cash at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court has sparked outrage in the Parliament. Congress leader Jairam Ramesh raised the issue in the Rajya Sabha, prompting Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar to express shock and assure a structured discussion on the matter.

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Ramesh sought the Chair’s response on judicial accountability and a pending notice for the removal of Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav of the Allahabad High Court. Dhankhar agreed with Ramesh’s concerns and stated that he had taken necessary steps to verify the representation made by 55 members of the House regarding Justice Yadav’s removal.

Dhankhar emphasised the need for a transparent and accountable systemic response, highlighting that if a similar incident occurred with a politician, bureaucrat, or industrialist, they would immediately face scrutiny. He expressed hope that a suitable response would be forthcoming.

“What bothers me is that the incident happened and did not immediately surface,” Dhankhar said.

The Chairman assured that he would initiate a structured discussion on the issue during the current session, in consultation with the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition. Dhankhar lamented that the National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, passed with unprecedented unanimity in 2014, was declared unconstitutional by the Supreme Court in 2015. He believed that if the NJAC Act had been implemented, such issues might have been addressed more effectively.

The Rajya Sabha Chairman said, “That historic legislation endorsed by this Parliament with unprecedented consensual support unknown to parliamentary history of this country dealt with the malaise very severely. If the malaise had been dealt with perhaps we would not have countenanced such kind of issues.”