'Citadel is tottering': After cash haul at judge's home, VP Dhankhar calls it judiciary's 'Ides of March'

Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar on Monday called for a criminal investigation into the large amount of cash reportedly recovered from a judge's official residence in Delhi, saying the judiciary faced its own "Ides of March" and warning that the system's failure to act swiftly has shaken public faith.

Speaking at the National University of Advanced Legal Studies (NUALS), Dhankhar said, "If that cash was found, the system should have moved immediately and the first process would have been to deal with it as a criminal act, find out those who are culpable and bring them to justice."

He was referring to the night of March 14–15, when large sums of cash were allegedly found at the Delhi High Court judge's residence. "But so far, there has been no FIR. 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," Dhankhar said.

"We must go to the root of the matter. Our judiciary — in which people's faith is unshakable — its very foundations have been shaken. The citadel is tottering because of this incident," he said.

The Vice President was referring to reports surrounding Justice Yashwant Varma, whose residence was searched following a fire, during which an unspecified amount of cash was reportedly found. Justice Varma has denied any wrongdoing and submitted responses to both the Delhi High Court Chief Justice and a Supreme Court-appointed panel. However, judicial work was withdrawn from him and he was later transferred to the Allahabad High Court, with a direction that he not be assigned any judicial work for the time being.

The panel investigating the incident has reportedly recorded statements from more than 50 individuals, including Delhi Police Commissioner Sanjay Arora and Delhi Fire Service chief Atul Garg, both of whom were among the first responders. 

Dhankhar questioned the absence of a criminal case: "If the money is so huge in volume, we have to find out: is it tainted money? What is the source of this money? How was it stacked in the official residence of a judge? Who did it belong to? Several penal provisions are violated in the process. I do hope an FIR will be registered."

He said that in a democracy governed by the rule of law, "every crime must be investigated."

Dhankhar also criticised what he called judicial overreach into executive functions, questioning the Chief Justice of India's role in the appointment of the CBI Director. "Is this happening elsewhere in the world? Can it happen under our constitutional scheme? Why should an appointment of the executive be made by anyone else other than the executive?" he asked.

He warned that "if executive functions are done by the Legislature or the Judiciary — that will be antithetical to the essence and spirit of the Doctrine of Separation of Powers."

Reflecting on recent developments within the judiciary, Dhankhar said the last two years were "very disturbing and challenging". But he praised the current Chief Justice and his immediate predecessor, saying "we are seeing good times now for the judiciary. They are getting things back on the rails."

He concluded by saying, "People believe in the judiciary like in no other institution. If their faith in the institution is eroded, we will be faced with a grim situation. A nation of 1.4 billion will suffer."