Supreme Court Collegium Proposes Justice Yashwant Varma's Repatriation to Allahabad High Court
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Synopsis
The Supreme Court Collegium has suggested repatriating Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court amid controversy over burnt cash found at his residence. A three-member committee will investigate the matter, and all judicial work assigned to him has been suspended pending further orders.
Key Takeaways
- Supreme Court Collegium recommends repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma.
- Controversy involves burnt cash discovered at his residence.
- A three-member committee has been formed for investigation.
- Judicial responsibilities suspended until further notice.
- Justice Varma's career history includes significant roles in various legal capacities.
New Delhi, March 24 (NationPress) The Supreme Court Collegium, led by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna, recommended on Monday that the Centre repatriate Justice Yashwant Varma back to the Allahabad High Court.
Justice Varma, who is the second senior-most judge of the Delhi High Court, has found himself at the center of a controversy regarding the alleged discovery of a significant quantity of burnt cash in a storeroom linked to his bungalow after the fire brigade responded to a fire on March 14.
In light of this incident, which raised alarms within judicial circles, CJI Khanna established a three-member committee on Friday to investigate the matter involving Justice Varma and instructed the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court to refrain from assigning him any judicial responsibilities for now.
Earlier in the day, the Chief Justice of the Delhi HC, D.K. Upadhyaya, suspended all judicial tasks for Justice Varma until further notice.
"Considering the recent developments, all judicial responsibilities assigned to Hon'ble Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma are hereby withdrawn immediately until further notice,” stated a notification on the Delhi High Court website.
Another announcement from the Registrar (Listing) of the Delhi HC mentioned: "The Court Master of Hon'ble DB-III will coordinate dates for matters listed before Hon'ble DB-III today."
On Monday, the Supreme Court Collegium released a statement confirming that during meetings held on March 20 and March 24, 2025, they recommended the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court back to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.
The apex court had previously clarified that the transfer proposal for Justice Varma to his original High Court, the Allahabad HC, is "separate and independent" from the in-house inquiry process.
"The proposal was reviewed by the Collegium, which includes the CJI and four of the Supreme Court's senior-most judges on March 20, 2025, and letters were dispatched to the consultative judges of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justices of the relevant High Courts, and Justice Yashwant Varma. The responses collected will be evaluated, and subsequently, the Collegium will issue a resolution," the Supreme Court mentioned in a press release.
According to the existing Memorandum of Procedure (MoP), the transfer proposal for High Court judges is initiated by the CJI in consultation with the four most senior judges of the Supreme Court, collectively referred to as the Collegium.
The MoP also stipulates that the CJI must consider the opinions of the Chief Justice of the High Court from which the judge is being transferred, as well as the Chief Justice of the receiving High Court, in addition to the views of other Supreme Court judges who may offer insight.
Justice Varma, born in January 1969, earned his law degree from Rewa University and primarily practiced in civil law, dealing with various issues including constitutional, industrial disputes, corporate law, taxation, environment, and related fields. He served as the Chief Standing Counsel for the State of Uttar Pradesh from 2012 until August 2013, when he was designated as a senior advocate by the Allahabad High Court. Justice Varma was promoted to Additional Judge in the High Court in October 2014 and transferred to the Delhi High Court in October 2021.
