Amid cash discovery row, Centre notifies Justice Varma’s transfer to Allahabad High Court-OxBig News Network

The government on Friday notified the transfer of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma to his parent Allahabad High Court, the order coming amid a row over alleged discovery of a huge amount of cash from his official residence here.

The Law Ministry issued a notification announcing the transfer of the judge.

Recommending his transfer on Monday, the Supreme Court Collegium had asserted the move was separate from an in-house probe ordered by the top court over the alleged discovery of cash from Justice Varma’s home after a fire on the night of Holi, March 14.

According to a Supreme Court resolution on Monday, “The Supreme Court Collegium in its meetings held on March 20 and 24, 2025 has recommended the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, High Court of Delhi, to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.”

On March 21, the Supreme Court said Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya had initiated an in-house inquiry against Justice Varma and there was a separate proposal to transfer him.

Justice Upadhyaya was stated to have commenced the inquiry prior to a meeting of the apex court collegium on March 20.

The alleged cash discovery happened following a fire at Varma’s Delhi residence around 11.35 pm on March 14.

Subsequently, the apex court collegium headed by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, and the Delhi High Court, issued a series of directives, including the withdrawal of judicial work from Justice Varma.

Justice Varma has “unequivocally” denied any cash being placed in a storeroom on his residential premises either by him or any of his family members while “strongly denouncing the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged” to them.

He said the allegations of cash discovery from his official residence clearly appeared to be a conspiracy to frame and malign him.

“The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous,” he said.