Centre Clears Transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to Allahabad High Court Amid In-House Probe Over Cash Row
Kiran Raj
The Central Government today notified the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, acting on the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendations dated March 24.
Justice Varma is currently facing an in-house inquiry initiated by a three-judge panel constituted by the Chief Justice of India. The inquiry pertains to allegations concerning the discovery of illicit cash currencies at his official premises. The repatriation order was issued despite objections raised by the Allahabad High Court Bar Association.
Earlier today, the Supreme Court dismissed a petition that sought the registration of an FIR and the initiation of a criminal investigation against Justice Varma. The Court stated that the outcome of the in-house inquiry should be awaited.
Justice Varma, originally a judge of the Allahabad High Court, was transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021. He came under scrutiny following media reports on March 21 about a fire incident in a storeroom located in the outhouse of his official bungalow, which reportedly led to the discovery of sacks containing cash currencies.
On March 22, Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna formed a three-member committee to conduct an in-house inquiry into the allegations. Subsequently, the Supreme Court published on its official website a video of the fire being extinguished, a report by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, and Justice Varma’s response.
Justice Varma has denied possessing any cash and has claimed the incident to be a conspiracy against him. On March 24, the Delhi High Court withdrew judicial work assigned to Justice Varma following directions from the Supreme Court.
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