The Central government issued a notification transferring Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma back to his parent Allahabad High Court. The decision followed a recommendation made by the Supreme Court Collegium on March 24.
The transfer was reportedly linked to an incident involving a fire at the judge’s residence, which allegedly led to the discovery of a substantial amount of cash. The matter prompted the Supreme Court Collegium to convene two meetings on March 20 and March 24 before finalizing its recommendation.
According to reports, on March 14, a fire broke out at Justice Varma’s residence, during which firefighters allegedly recovered unaccounted cash. A video of the incident was purportedly shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner with the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court. At the time of the incident, Justice Varma and his wife were away in Madhya Pradesh, while his daughter and elderly mother were at home.
In response to the developments, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) ordered an in-house inquiry on March 21, constituting a three-member panel to examine the matter. Additionally, the Supreme Court made public a report by the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court on the incident, along with Justice Varma’s response.
Justice Yashwant Varma, born in 1969, pursued his law degree at Rewa University, Madhya Pradesh, and enrolled as an advocate in 1992. During his legal career, he served as special counsel for the Allahabad High Court and as Chief Standing Counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government. Designated as a Senior Advocate in 2013, he was appointed as an Additional Judge of the Allahabad High Court in October 2014 and later became a permanent judge in February 2017. He was subsequently transferred to the Delhi High Court, where he took office on October 11, 2021.
The transfer decision underscores the Collegium’s intervention following the controversy surrounding the recovery of cash from the judge’s residence.
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