Judiciary Cannot Turn Into a Haven for the Corrupt

The best brains in the judiciary demanded an inquiry from the moment the case emerged

- SHASHI SHEKHAR

Three judges from three different high courts will investigate the case of a pile of half-burnt currency notes found at the residence of Delhi high court judge Justice Yashwant Verma. Meanwhile, Verma has been relieved of his duties. Chief Justice of India, Sanjeev Khanna, has decided to release Delhi high court Chief Justice D. K. Upadhyaya's report in the public domain. It's a first in the country's legal history.

It's important to take note of the letter addressed to the Delhi high court chief justice written by Justice Verma in his defence. He writes: "I unequivocally state that neither I nor any of my family members had stored or kept any cash or currency in that store room at any point of time. The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous." Justice Verma further stated, "I was totally shocked to see the contents of the videos that depicted something which was not found on site as I had seen it. It was this which prompted me to observe that this clearly appears to be a conspiracy to frame and malign me."

The best brains in the judiciary demanded an inquiry from the moment the case came to light, but the country's people would have been denied the truth had the media not gone to town with the story.