Breaking News: Transfer of Delhi High Court Judge Unrelated to Cash Recovery Probe
The Supreme Court clarified today that the transfer of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Varma is not connected to the investigation into the alleged cash recovery at his residence. The in-house inquiry is being conducted according to the procedures set by the Supreme Court, and the transfer has no relation to the ongoing investigation.
The Supreme Court addressed the spread of misinformation and rumors linking Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court with the cash recovery incident. The court emphasized that the transfer decision is separate from the ongoing investigation.
According to the Supreme Court, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice initiated the in-house inquiry into the reported incident at Justice Varma’s residence before the Collegium meeting on Thursday. The Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, will receive the inquiry report today for further action.
Justice Varma, who is the second senior-most judge in the Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium, is proposed to be transferred to his parent high court, Allahabad High Court. He will rank ninth in seniority in the Allahabad High Court.
The Collegium, comprising the Chief Justice of India and four senior-most judges of the Supreme Court, examined the transfer proposal on 20th March 2025. Letters were subsequently sent to the consultee judges of the Supreme Court, Chief Justices of the concerned High Courts, and Justice Yashwant Varma.
Allegations of a significant amount of cash being found at Justice Varma’s residence surfaced after a fire incident at the property. Firefighters who responded to the blaze reportedly discovered the cash pile, although the exact amount is unknown.
Senior lawyer Harish Salve, a vocal critic of the Collegium system, expressed concerns about its ability to handle cases like the alleged cash recovery at Justice Varma’s home. He highlighted discrepancies in statements, including the Delhi fire chief denying any cash recovery, leading to a perplexing situation.
Justice Varma’s profile on the Delhi High Court website indicates his enrollment as an advocate in August 1992. He served as an additional judge at the Allahabad High Court in October 2014 and became a permanent judge in February 2016 before his appointment to the Delhi High Court in October 2021.
Currently, Justice Varma heads a division bench handling cases related to sales tax, goods and services tax, company appeals, and more.
