CJI Reprimands Lawyer for Disrespectful Reference to Justice Varma

• CJI BR Gavai reprimanded a lawyer for referring to Justice Yashwant Varma by his surname only.
• The lawyer, Mathews Nedumpara, sought an urgent hearing on his petition for an FIR against Justice Varma.
• Justice Varma is under investigation after a large cash recovery from his residence in March.

GG News Bureau
New Delhi, 21st July: Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai today sternly admonished a lawyer in the Supreme Court for referring to Allahabad High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma simply as “Varma,” during an urgent hearing related to a petition seeking an FIR against the judge. Justice Varma is currently under investigation following a significant cash recovery from his home earlier this year.

Advocate Mathews Nedumpara was pushing for an urgent hearing on his petition that demands the Delhi Police register a First Information Report (FIR) against Justice Varma. Justice Varma gained headlines in March when a fire at his official residence led to the discovery of a large sum of cash.

At the time of the incident, Justice Varma was a judge of the Delhi High Court; he was subsequently transferred to the Allahabad High Court. Following the cash recovery, a Supreme Court inquiry panel reportedly found him guilty of misconduct, leading then Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna to urge Parliament to initiate impeachment proceedings against the judge. Justice Varma has since challenged these findings and approached the Supreme Court.

During today’s proceedings, Mr. Nedumpara sought an urgent listing for his petition, stating it was his third such request. When he referred to the judge as “Varma,” Chief Justice Gavai sharply interjected. “If you want me to dismiss now, I will dismiss it now! Is Justice Varma your friend? He is still a learned judge of the high court… how are you referring to him as ‘Varma’?” Solicitor General Tushar Mehta also took exception to the informal reference, underscoring that Justice Varma remains a sitting judge.

Nedumpara’s petition seeks directions for the Delhi Police to register an FIR against Justice Varma and conduct an investigation into the cash recovery. The petition argues that finding currency notes on such a scale constitutes a cognizable offense punishable under the Prevention of Corruption Act and laws against money laundering.

The original incident occurred on March 14, when firefighters and police responded to a fire call at the judge’s official residence. Upon arrival, they reportedly discovered a large quantity of half-burnt currency notes in plastic bags. Mr. Nedumpara’s petition alleges that while police officers filmed and photographed the scene, no FIR was registered. This, the petition claims, is due to the K. Veeraswamy vs. Government of India judgment, which mandates the Chief Justice of India’s permission to register an FIR against a sitting judge.

The lawyer’s petition further contends that the three-member inquiry committee formed by the Supreme Court is “unconstitutional” and interferes with the role of the police.