By The Sampadak Express
The Supreme Court of India, led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna, has instructed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to refrain from assigning any judicial duties to Justice Yashwant Varma, following the Centre’s approval of his transfer from the Delhi High Court to his parent high court, Allahabad.
A Supreme Court press release confirmed that the directive comes as Justice Varma prepares to assume his new role at the Allahabad High Court. The Centre had earlier approved his transfer, which was initiated after the ongoing in-house inquiry into the discovery of a large sum of cash at his Delhi residence during a fire incident on March 14.
On March 24, the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice Khanna, recommended the Centre repatriate Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court. Justice Varma was transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021, and his repatriation followed a three-member inquiry into the cash discovery incident. The inquiry committee includes Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court, Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman, a judge of the Karnataka High Court.
This development follows the public release of a report by Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya, which included photos and videos about the discovery of “four to five semi-burnt sacks of Indian currency notes” at Justice Varma’s residence. Justice Varma, however, vehemently denied the allegations, claiming the discovery was part of a conspiracy to tarnish his reputation. He further asserted that no cash was ever stored in his residence by him or his family members.
On March 20, the Supreme Court’s five-member collegium had unanimously recommended Justice Varma’s transfer to Allahabad, after viewing a video that purportedly showed cash being burned at his residence. Despite this, the transfer has faced opposition from the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, which criticized the decision, calling it a move that raises serious concerns about the reputation of the Allahabad High Court.
The case continues to unfold, and Justice Varma’s future involvement in judicial work remains under scrutiny as the inquiry progresses.
