Must revisit order on prior sanction to prosecute: VP

A landmark Supreme Court verdict, which said judges of constitutional courts can be prosecuted for corruption only after prior sanction, must be revisited, vice-president Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Monday as he raised questions about the probe into allegations against sitting high court judge Yashwant Varma and praised former Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna for his steps in the sensational case.

- Smriti Kak Ramachandran

NEW DELHI:

Speaking at a book launch in the Capital, Dhankhar suggested that the inquiry by the three-member committee that looked into the allegations against Justice Varma did not have any "constitutional premise or legal sanctity" and wondered how the panel recovered electronic equipment from witnesses.

"Everyone in the country is now thinking whether this will be washed off, whether it will fade with time, and they are really concerned. How come the criminal justice system was not operationalised as it would have done for every other individual?" Dhankhar asked.

"This issue, for which people are waiting with bated breath, the money trail, its source, its purpose, did it pollute the judicial system? Who are the bigger sharks? We need to find out," he added.

He also described as a "serious issue" the move of the panel to recover electronic equipment from witnesses. "This is a serious issue. How can this be done?" he asked.

Dhankhar's comments came days after former CJI Khanna initiated the process for the removal of Justice Varma by writing to President Droupadi Murmu and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, stating that the allegations of recovery of cash at the judge's residence was serious and warranted initiation of proceedings for his removal under the Constitution.

If Varma is removed, he will be the first judge of a constitutional court to be.