Welcoming Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna’s decision to put the material related to the alleged recovery of cash at Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma’s home in the public domain, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar said on Monday that Parliament should await the CJI-appointed inquiry committee’s findings. Dhankhar met Leader of the House J P Nadda and Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge in the morning to discuss the developments. Cash was allegedly recovered at Justice Varma’s official residence after a fire on March 14. The matter was taken up by the CJI, who set up a committee on March 22. Justice Varma has denied the charge, saying no currency was recovered from the premises occupied and used by him and his family. After meeting the leaders, Dhankhar said in a statement, “It is for the first time since Independence that a Chief Justice has in a transparent, accountable manner put all material available to him in the 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 Chief Justice of India and the alertness he has reflected is also a factor that needs consideration. Institutions like the Judiciary and Legislature serve their purpose best when their in-House mechanism is effective, fast and upholding public trust.” He added that since it was a first, “it will be worthwhile to await the outcome of the committee as that will enable us to have the entire material for our consideration”. He said Kharge had suggested the issue should be deliberated with the floor leaders of all parties, which he and Nadda also agreed to. He said he would invite all floor leaders for the deliberation. “I have indicated firmly that these steps taken so far by the Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, are unprecedented if we go by past performance, and no effort will be spared to make available in the public domain by way of an inquiry what could possibly be the requirement in such a challenging situation that is agitating the minds of members of the Judiciary, members of the Bar, Parliamentarians and the public at large,” he said. Speaking in the Rajya Sabha on March 21 in response to Congress MP Jairam Ramesh’s observations, Dhankhar referred to the National Judicial Appointments Commission Act (NJAC), which was passed by Parliament but later scrapped by the Supreme Court as unconstitutional. “That historic legislation endorsed by this Parliament with unprecedented consensual support unknown to the parliamentary history of this country dealt with the malaise very severely. If the malaise had been dealt with, perhaps we would not have countenanced such kind of issues (the cash case). What bothers me is that the incident happened and did not immediately surface,” he said. “If it happens with a politician, he becomes a target; a bureaucrat, an industrialist immediately, and therefore a systemic response which is transparent, accountable, effective, I am sure, will be on the way. I will get in touch with the Leader of the House, Leader of the Opposition and find a mechanism for a structured discussion during the course of the session, subject to their agreement,” Dhankhar had said. This is not the first time that Dhankhar has raised the issue of the NJAC. In several speeches outside the House and inside, he has said that Parliament’s sovereignty in lawmaking cannot be diluted by the executive or judiciary.
