The Supreme Court Collegium has officially recommended the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court. This decision follows an in-house inquiry into allegations related to the discovery of large sums of cash at his official residence.
Justice Varma, originally from the Allahabad High Court, was transferred to Delhi in 2021. However, in a meeting held on March 20 and 24, 2025, the Supreme Court Collegium, consisting of Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant, and Justice AS Oka, decided to recommend his repatriation to the Allahabad High Court.
"The Supreme Court Collegium in its meetings held on 20th and 24th March 2025 has recommended the repatriation of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, High Court of Delhi, to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad."
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Background of the Inquiry
The controversy surrounding Justice Varma began on March 21, when news reports surfaced about a fire at the storeroom of his official bungalow. The fire, which occurred on March 14, led to the discovery of sacks filled with cash.
Following these reports, CJI Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to investigate the matter under the in-house inquiry mechanism. This action was taken based on a report submitted by Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyay, who emphasized the need for a deeper probe into the matter.
On the night of March 23, the Supreme Court published key documents related to the case on its official website, including:
- The report from Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyay
- The response submitted by Justice Yashwant Varma
- Photographs and videos shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner
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The fire incident reportedly took place at Justice Varma’s residence on March 14 while he was out of town. On March 15, at approximately 4:50 PM, Delhi Police Commissioner informed the Delhi High Court Chief Justice about the fire that had broken out at 11:30 PM the previous night.
Justice Yashwant Varma has denied any involvement in the alleged possession of cash. He has claimed that the entire situation is a conspiracy against him and has refuted the allegations of hoarding illicit money.
Following the inquiry proceedings, on March 24, the Delhi High Court withdrew all judicial work assigned to Justice Varma, in line with directives issued by the Supreme Court.
