Justice Yashwant Varma officially took oath as a judge of the Allahabad High Court, despite ongoing investigations related to unaccounted cash found at his official residence in Delhi.

“Unlike traditional oath-taking ceremonies held in public with dignitaries, this event was conducted privately within chamber,”
highlighting the unusual nature of the proceedings amidst the controversy.

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The Central Government had notified his repatriation from Delhi to the Allahabad High Court on March 28, following the Supreme Court Collegium's recommendation made earlier on March 24.

• Justice Varma is currently under the scanner in an in-house inquiry set up by the Chief Justice of India.
• A three-judge panel has been constituted to look into the allegations involving the discovery of large amounts of cash at his official residence.
• The allegations stemmed from an incident reported on March 21, where a fire broke out in the storeroom of his official bungalow, leading to the discovery of sacks filled with cash.

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“Justice Varma has denied owning the cash and has described the entire issue as a conspiracy against him.”

Following these events:

• On March 22, CJI Justice Sanjiv Khanna formed the three-member committee under the in-house procedure to investigate the matter.
• The Supreme Court later made public several materials related to the case, including:
  • The video footage of the fire dousing,
  • The report from the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, and
  • Justice Varma’s official response.

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“On March 24, the Delhi High Court withdrew all judicial work assigned to Justice Varma,”
in line with the Apex Court's directive, signifying the seriousness of the inquiry.

• Despite the ongoing investigation, the Allahabad High Court Bar Association protested against his repatriation order.
• It's important to note that Justice Varma originally served at the Allahabad High Court before being transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021.

Adding to the legal and public discourse, a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) has been filed in the Allahabad High Court.

“The plea requests that the Chief Justice of the High Court should refrain from administering the oath of office to Justice Yashwant Varma,”
raising questions on the procedural and ethical aspects of the appointment.