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Senior Advocate Dr Adish C Aggarwala, Chairman of the All India Bar Association and former President of the Supreme Court Bar Association, has issued a statement regarding the recent incident involving the alleged burning of currency notes at the outhouse of Justice Yashwant Verma.
Dr Aggarwala has expressed his confidence that the three-judge In-House Committee appointed by the Supreme Court will recommend to the Chief Justice of India that the matter be referred to the Delhi Police or the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI). In his statement, Dr Aggarwala highlighted the limitations of the In-House Committee in addressing the criminal aspects of the case. He pointed out that the Committee is not adequately equipped to investigate the origins of the planted currency notes or to establish how they were introduced into the outhouse of Justice Verma. Additionally, the Committee lacks the authority to record witness statements under Sections 180 BNSS and 183 BNSS, which significantly hampers its ability to conduct a comprehensive inquiry into the incident. Dr Aggarwala further noted, "It cannot render a conclusive finding regarding the criminal intent or source of the currency notes. The Committee members, too, may be reluctant to be witnesses in any future criminal investigation." The Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA), which has been voicing its opposition to the transfer of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Verma to the Allahabad High Court, decided to temporarily halt their strike. This decision comes as the association awaits the outcome of an in-house inquiry against the judge. As per a resolution passed, the lawyers agreed to suspend their strike until the three-judge inquiry committee completes its investigation into Justice Verma and the unaccounted cash discovered at his residence by firefighters on March 14. (ANI)
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