The fire at a High Court judge’s official residence in Delhi that allegedly burnt a large amount of cash has dominated the headlines for the last one week. Every one has his own take on the incident; déjà vu is the feeling of the common man who has often faced judicial corruption in his encounters with law; the judicial fraternity is glum, as the carefully crafted mask of absolute impartiality and incorruptibility of the higher judiciary has been ripped away; politicians across party lines are elated that judges, who often excoriate them in open court, have received their comeuppance. Additionally, politicians spy a golden chance of reviving the defunct National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act.

To recapitulate: on 14 March 2025, a fire broke out in the outhouse of the residence of a senior judge of the Delhi High Court. The fire did not reach the main building and was soon doused, but along with sundry items, some jute bags containing Indian currency got burnt. For close to a week, till the press got a whiff of the matter, all authorities kept mum, and the first statement issued by the Supreme Court, some days after the fire avoided mentioning the burnt cash.

Advertisement

Hoping that public feeling could be assuaged by a transfer of the judge, the statement mentioned that the judge in question was being transfe – rred to Allahabad High Court. But public feeling was not appeased by such band-aid measures, the Allahabad Bar vociferously protested that the Allahabad High Court was not a ‘trash bin’ for tainted judges, and certain public-minded citizens mounted an e-mail campaign, which forced the Supreme Court to publicly disclose the videos of burning currency (shared with it by Delhi Police), as also the internal enquiry report of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. Last heard, the Chief Justice of India had constituted a three-member committee, comprising two High Court Chief Justices and a High Court Judge, to investigate the allegations against the judge. Justice Yashwant Verma, the man at the centre of the controversy, is of impeccable judicial pedigree ~ son of a High Court Judge, with uncles, nephews and cousins practicing as advocates.

Advertisement

Those who know Justice Verma find charges against him hard to believe, as he had the reputation of a fearless and........

© The Statesman