Kochi: Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday expressed concern over the judiciary’s response to the discovery of a large amount of cash at a judge’s official residence in New Delhi, comparing the incident to the “Ides of March”—a reference to the betrayal and downfall of Julius Caesar in Shakespeare’s play—symbolising impending misfortune for the justice system.
Addressing students and faculty at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS) in Kochi, Dhankhar criticised the delay in launching a criminal investigation into the incident, stating that the presence of unaccounted cash should have triggered immediate legal action.
“If that cash was found, the system should have moved instantly. It should have been treated as a criminal act, the culprits identified, and brought to justice,” he said.
He noted that despite the official acknowledgment of the cash seizure during the night of March 14–15, no First Information Report (FIR) had been registered, which he likened to the judiciary facing its own “Ides of March.”
Dhankhar further stated that the Centre is currently unable to initiate criminal proceedings due to a Supreme Court ruling from the early 1990s. “The government at the central level is handicapped because an FIR cannot be registered in view of a judgment of the Supreme Court rendered in early ’90s,” he said.
His remarks come in the wake of reports that Justice Yashwant Varma is facing impeachment proceedings in Parliament after cash was discovered at his official residence in the aftermath of a fire. Though the amount remains unspecified, the incident has triggered national attention.
Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing and submitted written responses to the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court and a Supreme Court-appointed panel investigating the matter. However, judicial duties were withdrawn from him, and he was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court. The Supreme Court has instructed the Chief Justice of that court not to assign him any judicial responsibilities for the time being.
The inquiry panel has reportedly recorded statements from over 50 individuals, including Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and Delhi Fire Service Chief Atul Garg, both of whom were among the first responders to the scene.
Vice President Dhankhar’s comments add to the mounting pressure on the judiciary to respond transparently and effectively to the situation.
With PTI inputs