Delhi High HC judge Justice Yashwant Varma
Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma.
A large amount of unaccounted cash was recovered from Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma’s official bungalow after a fire broke out last week. Taking prompt action, the Supreme Court collegium – led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna – initiated an in-house inquiry.
The large stash of cash was found by the first responders after the fire was doused. Reportedly, Justice Varma was not in town when the incident took place.
The Supreme Court Collegium also proposed the transfer of Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court, but clarified later that it was independent and separate from in-house enquiry procedure.
Meanwhile, the judge in question was absent from court on Friday. His court staff revealed in open court that he was on leave.
Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court was transferred to the Allahabad High Court following the discovery of a substantial amount of cash at his official residence. The incident came to light after a fire broke out at his bungalow in Delhi while he was away. Firefighters, upon extinguishing the blaze, found large sums of cash in different rooms of the residence. This led the Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, to recommend Justice Varma’s transfer back to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court.
The discovery of unaccounted cash has raised concerns about potential judicial misconduct. Some members of the Collegium have suggested that, beyond the transfer, Justice Varma should be asked to resign. They have also recommended the formation of an in-house inquiry committee to investigate the matter further if he refuses to resign.
Justice Varma’s judicial career began in 2014 when he was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court, later becoming a permanent judge in 2016. He was transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021.
The investigation into the cash recovery is ongoing, and authorities have yet to release an official statement on its progress.
The Supreme Court Collegium has proposed the transfer of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court, following a report about cash at his New Delhi residence where a fire broke out on March 14.
In a statement Friday, the Supreme Court Registry said the Collegium’s “proposal for the transfer of Mr Justice Yashwant Varma, who is the second senior most Judge in the Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium, to his parent High Court i.e. the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, where he will be ninth in seniority, is independent and separate from the in-house enquiry procedure” initiated by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court upon receiving information about the incident.
The statement, while noting the “misinformation and rumours being spread” regarding the incident at the residence of Justice Varma, said, “The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, who had commenced his enquiry prior to the Collegium meeting on 20th March 2025, will be submitting his report to the Chief Justice of India today i.e. on 21st March 2025. The report will be examined and processed for further and necessary action.”
His remarks came after Congress MP Jairam Ramesh raised the matter of cash at the residence of the judge, and requested that Dhankhar “make some observations and give necessary directions to the government to come up with a proposal for increasing judicial accountability”.
Dhankhar said: “If it happens with a politician, he becomes a target… a bureaucrat, an industrialist… immediately. And therefore, a systemic response which is transparent, accountable, and effective, I am sure will be on the way.”
He said he would find a mechanism for a structured discussion on the matter after consulting the Leader of the House and the Leader of the Opposition.
Ramesh had also raised the matter of Rajya Sabha MPs having submitted a notice regarding remarks made by a judge of the Allahabad High Court. In December last year, 55 Opposition MPs had given notice for moving a motion to impeach Allahabad High Court judge Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav for engaging in “hate speech”.
On this, Dhankhar said he had “taken all necessary steps” to get the verification of the members who signed the notice. He said he had a “concern” — of the 55 members who signed the representation, “a member’s signature appears on two occasions and the member concerned has denied his signature”.
On this, Dhankhar said he had “taken all necessary steps” to get the verification of the members who signed the notice. He said he had a “concern” — of the 55 members who signed the representation, “a member’s signature appears on two occasions and the member concerned has denied his signature”.
Who is Justice Yashwant Varma?
1. Yashwant Varma’s birth: Justice Yashwant Varma was Born on 6 January 1969 in Allahabad.
2. Yashwant Varma’s education: He pursued the B.Com [Honours] degree course at Hansraj College, Delhi University. He was awarded the LLB degree by Rewa University, Madhya Pradesh, and thereafter enrolled as an Advocate on August 8, 1992.
3. Yashwant Varma’s career: He was elevated as Additional Judge at the Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014, took oath as the Permanent Judge of that court on February 1, 2016 and transferred to Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021.
He was also the Special Counsel for the Allahabad High Court from 2006 till elevation, as per his profile on the Delhi High Court’s website. Justice Yashwant Varma held the office of the Chief Standing Counsel for Uttar Pradesh from 2012 till August 2013 when was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Court.
Supreme Court begins in-house probe against Justice Yashwant Varma after cash pile was recovery from his residence.
The Supreme Court has initiated an in-house probe against Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma after a pile of unaccounted cash was recovered from his residence in the national capital during a fire incident on Holi.
The apex court has also sought a report from Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, legal news website Bar & Bench reported quoting unnamed sources.
A fire at the judge’s house had led to the recovery of cash by the firefighters, as reported first by the Times of India. The Supreme Court Collegium had then decided to repatriate Justice Varma back to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court.
However, at a full court meeting of all Supreme Court judges held on March 21, it was suggested that a punitive transfer would not be enough and some concrete action has to be taken against the judge, Bar & Bench said.
‘Shocking case’: Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar reacts to recovery of cash from Delhi HC judge’s residence
The issue of the alleged recovery of cash from the residence of a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar assured that he would find a mechanism for a structured discussion on the matter, as reported by PTI.
Also Read: Who is Justice Yashwant Varma? Delhi HC judge ‘transferred’ after huge cash pile recovered from his home
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh raised the issue during the morning session, seeking the Chair’s response on judicial accountability and reminding him of a pending notice regarding the impeachment of a judge from the Allahabad High Court.
The issue of the alleged recovery of cash from the residence of a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court was raised in the Rajya Sabha on Friday.
‘Part of conspiracy to frame me’: Justice Yashwant Varma denying cash recovery charges – ’shocked to see the video’Justice Yashwant Varma, the Delhi High Court Judge facing charges of stashing illicit cash at his residence, has denied the allegations. Justice Varma is facing an in-house inquiry initiated by the Chief Justice of India after firefighters reportedly found piles of charred currency after dousing the flames.The cash was discovered following a fire at Varma’s official residents in Lutyens Delhi at around 11.35 pm on March 14, prompting the Delhi fire department personnel to rush to the spot and douse it.
Justice Yashwant Varma’s transfer to Allahabad HC not linked to cash pile recovery, clarifies Supreme Court
Hours after an alleged incident of recovery of a pile of cash at the official residence of its sitting judge Justice Yashwant Varma and reports of his transfer, the Supreme Court has clarified that the collegium action was not linked to the case.Terming it a case of “misinformation”, the Supreme Court said the proposal for Justice Varma’s transfer to Allahabad High Court was “independent and separate from in-house enquiry procedure.”The top court said upon receiving information, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice commenced an in-house enquiry procedure collecting evidence and information.In a statement, the Supreme Court said, “On receiving the information, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court commenced the In-house enquiry procedure collecting evidence and information.”
Conclusion
“I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members and strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us. The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous,” Justice Varma said. His response to the Delhi High Court, along with the High Court’s report, photos and video shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner, were made public by the Supreme Court on its website on Saturday night.
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