Delhi judge cash row: Dhankhar lauds CJI Sanjiv Khanna for ‘transparent, accountable’ handling of case material

Dhankhar said it was for the first time since independence that a Chief Justice has in a “transparent, accountable manner” put all material available to him in public domain and shared it without keeping anything with the court.

New Delhi: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday lauded Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna for putting all material related to Justice Yashwant Varma episode in public domain calling it “very impactful” and said a meeting of floor leaders will be convened to decide on holding a discussion on the issue of judicial accountability and the NJAC Act.

Dhankhar accepted the “very thoughtful” suggestion by Leader of Opposition Kharge to hold the floor leaders’ meeting even as they are likely to await the final outcome of the Supreme Court-appointed committee probing the Justice Varma case. 

The Chairman’s remarks came after a meeting he held with Leader of the House (Rajya Sabha) JP Nadda and Kharge here against the backdrop of a huge amount of cash being discovered at the residence of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma after a fire incident earlier this month.

Dhankhar said it was for the first time since independence that a Chief Justice has in a “transparent, accountable manner” put all material available – report by Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya's report, Justice Varma's response, photographs and videos of burnt cash – to him in public domain and shared it without keeping anything with the court.

“This is a step in the right direction. Constitution of a committee by the CJI and the alertness he has reflected is also a factor that needs consideration. Institutions like judiciary and legislature serve their purpose best when their in-house mechanism is effective, fast and upholding public trust,” he said.

"Since it is for the first time that head of judiciary, Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, has initiated action in a very, very impactful, transparent manner, it will be worthwhile to await the outcome of the committee as that will enable us to have the entire material for our consideration," Dhankhar said.

He said he was grateful for the "very deep understanding" shown by Nadda and Kharge that institutions in the country must blossom only with integrity and public commitment and "such kind of malaise needs to be eradicated so that we do not have a recurrence of it". 

Earlier on March 21, Dhankhar had told Rajya Sabha, "you all will recollect the mechanism (NJAC) which was passed by this House with near unanimity, with no dissension, only one abstention in the Rajya Sabha, all political parties converging and going in for the initiative of the government...if the malaise had been dealt with perhaps we would not have countenanced such kind of issues. What bothers me is that the incident happened and did not immediately surface."