New Delhi: The ‘cash at home’ case of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Verma has created a stir in the judicial and legal system of the country. Now the bar associations of various High Courts have united in this matter and have demanded the Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjeev Khanna to initiate a criminal investigation against Justice Verma. Along with this, the Supreme Court Collegium has also been urged to withdraw the recommendation to transfer Justice Verma to Allahabad High Court. This incident started when on March 14, 2025, a fire broke out in the storeroom of Justice Verma’s official bungalow and reports of sacks full of cash being recovered from there came to light.
A joint statement issued by the presidents of the Bar Associations of various High Courts—Delhi, Allahabad, Kerala, Karnataka and Gujarat—has made several serious demands. The statement said, “We appreciate the CJI’s move to adopt transparency and make public the report of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court and other material on the Supreme Court website.” Along with this, the Bar Association demanded that Justice Verma’s transfer be cancelled, his judicial as well as administrative work be withdrawn and criminal law be applied against him, as in the case of a government employee.
The joint statement also argued that as per the report of the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court, on March 15, 2025, someone had removed material from Justice Verma’s residence. If a criminal investigation had been initiated at that time, the destruction of evidence could have been prevented. “There may be involvement of other people in such crimes, and not registering an FIR will adversely affect their prosecution process,” the statement said. The bar association also announced that if Justice Verma’s transfer is not revoked, the bar presidents of all the high courts will gather in Allahabad and show solidarity with the Allahabad High Court Bar Association.
