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The controversy erupted when a fire at the official residence of Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma led to the discovery of a substantial amount of unaccounted cash. The incident occurred while Justice Varma was out of town.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has constituted a three-member committee to investigate allegations against Delhi High Court Judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose residence a large amount of unaccounted cash was recovered.
The committee comprises:
Additionally, the CJI has directed the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court to not assign any judicial work to Justice Varma for the time being.
The top court has also said that the report submitted by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, along with Justice Yashwant Varma’s response will be uploaded on the Supreme Court website.
Recently, the top court issued a press statement addressing misinformation regarding Delhi High Court Judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, from whose residence a large amount of unaccounted cash was recovered.
According to the press release, upon receiving the information, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court initiated the in-house inquiry procedure and began gathering evidence. It further stated that Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya would submit his report to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) for further action.
"The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, who had commenced his enquiry prior to the Collegium meeting on 20 th March 2025, will be submitting his report to the Chief Justice of India today i.e. on 21 st March 2025. The report will be examined and processed for further and necessary action," the press release stated.
The Supreme Court clarified in its press statement that the proposal for the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma back to the Allahabad High Court, where he had previously served before his 2021 appointment to the Delhi High Court, is independent and separate from the in-house inquiry procedure.
"The proposal for transfer was examined by the Collegium comprising of the Chief Justice of India and four senior most Judges of the Supreme Court on 20 th March 2025, and thereafter letters were written to the consultee Judges of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justices of the High Courts concerned and Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.Responses received will be examined and, thereupon, the Collegium will pass a resolution," the press statement added.
In a related development, the High Court Bar Association (HCBA), Allahabad, has strongly objected to the Supreme Court’s decision to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma back to the Allahabad High Court following allegations of corruption. Expressing outrage, the Bar Association released a statement questioning whether the Allahabad High Court was being treated as a “trash bin” for tainted judges.
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