Prepared for serious steps: CJI on cash row

Judges who faced graft charges

- Utkarsh Anand

NEW DELHI: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna on Friday assured all Supreme Court judges that the transfer of Delhi high court judge Yashwant Varma was "just the beginning" and that he was prepared to take "more serious steps" in the matter if required, according to people aware of the developments.

The CJI conveyed this during an informal gathering over tea with Supreme Court judges on Friday morning, where he provided a detailed account of the sequence of events that led to the collegium's decision a day earlier to repatriate justice Varma to the Allahabad high court. The transfer followed the discovery of large amounts of cash at the judge's official residence in Delhi.

People in the know of the matter told HT that CJI Khanna remained emphatic that merely transferring justice Varma was not the ultimate solution and that he was committed to taking all necessary steps to uphold judicial integrity and institutional credibility.