New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Wednesday criticised the conduct of Justice Yashwant Verma, calling it “dishonest” after he sought to declare the report of an in-house inquiry committee invalid in connection with the cash recovery case.
Justice Verma was found guilty of misconduct in the committee’s report. A bench comprising Justices Dipankar Datta and A.G. Masih questioned why Verma had participated in the committee proceedings instead of challenging it at the time. “Why didn’t you approach the Supreme Court earlier?” the bench asked.
The court further said that if the Chief Justice of India possesses credible material indicating that a judge has violated judicial dignity, he is empowered to inform the President and the Prime Minister.
Senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Justice Verma, argued that the in-house committee’s recommendation for his removal was unconstitutional and warned that such a move could set a dangerous precedent.
He told the court that Justice Verma had approached the apex court only after a tape was released, which had already damaged his public image.
The trial in the case remains ongoing.
