A fresh controversy has surfaced in the Indian judiciary following the ‘Cash Scandal’. Justice Shard Kumar Sharma, a member of the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT), alleges that a High Court judge contacted him to secure a ruling favoring a particular lawyer. He has withheld the judge’s name. Consequently, Justice Sharma claims he removed himself from the case. The judge is said to be one of the High Court’s most respected. An inquiry has been ordered by the Supreme Court.
The Secretary General of the Supreme Court will investigate, attempting to identify the High Court judge who made the approach. No name has been disclosed by Justice Sharma.
The ‘Cash Scandal’ pertains to incidents involving Justice Yeshwant Verma. On Mar. 14 during Holi, a blaze engulfed Verma’s government residence. Both the judge and spouse were absent, prompting a substantial response from fire and police units. While extinguishing the flames, officers discovered a massive pile of currency notes allegedly filling a whole room.
To probe the situation, the Chief Justice set up a 3‑judge panel consisting of Shil Nag from the Punjab & Haryana High Court, G. S. Sandhawalia of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Shivaram of the Karnataka High Court.