Cash-discovery row: SC collegium recommends transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to Allahabad High Court

New Delhi: The Supreme Court Collegium led by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna on Monday recommended for repatriation of Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma to Allahabad High Court.

Justice Varma has been in the eye of storm over alleged discovery of cash pile at his official residence here during the fire incident on the night of March 14-15.

The CJI has already on March 22 set up a three judge committee for inhouse inquiry against him. He also asked the Delhi High Court's Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya to withdraw judicial work from Justice Varma.

Following the unsavoury incident, the Collegium decided to repatriate Justice Varma to his parent high court.

Justice Varma is currently second senior most judge in the Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium.

However, on approval of the recommendation to repatriate him, he would be ninth in the seniority in the Allahabad High Court.

The proposal to transfer him to his parent high court was first examined on March 20 by the Collegium, comprising CJI and four other senior most judge of the Supreme Court.

On March 24, a resolution was passed after considering responses from consultee judges of the Supreme Court, Delhi High Court's Chief Justice and Justice Varma himself.

Notably, the High Court Bar Association had earlier opposed the move to shift Justice Varma, saying the Allahabad High Court was not a "trash bin".

In his response to the alleged incident, Justice Varma categorically denied recovery of any cash and termed the whole episode as a conspiracy to malign his reputation.

"I unequivocally state that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members and strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us," he said in response to the queries made by Chief Justice Upadhyaya.

He was not present at his residence when the fire incident at store room was reported on March 14.

Justice Varma was appointed as additional judge of the High Court on October 13, 2014. He took oath as the permanent judge on February 1, 2014. He was appointed as a judge of the Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021.

Varma was born on January 6, 1969 at Allahabad, now Prayagraj. His father was the judge of the Allahabad High Court.

He pursued the B Com (Honours) degree course at Hansraj College Delhi University. He was awarded the LLB degree by Rewa University, Madhya Pradesh and thereafter enrolled as an advocate on August 8, 1992.