New Delhi, March 22 — The Supreme Court Collegium has recommended the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma, the second senior-most judge of the Delhi High Court, to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court, following a report about unaccounted cash found at his New Delhi residence where a fire broke out on March 14.
In a statement on Friday, the Supreme Court Registry clarified that the transfer recommendation is separate from the in-house enquiry initiated by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court. “The Collegium’s proposal is independent and separate from the in-house enquiry procedure initiated by the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court,” the statement said.
The Collegium, comprising the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and four senior-most judges, met on March 20 and decided to propose the transfer after reviewing a video related to the incident at Justice Varma’s residence. The Registry also sought to address “misinformation and rumours being spread” regarding the situation.
The Chief Justice of Delhi High Court is expected to submit his enquiry report to the CJI on March 21 for further action.
The development triggered discussions in Parliament, where Vice President and Rajya Sabha Chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar referred to the incident and expressed concern over the delayed surfacing of the matter. Dhankhar also recalled the scrapped National Judicial Appointments Commission (NJAC) Act, emphasizing the need for greater judicial accountability.
Congress MP Jairam Ramesh called for systemic reforms to ensure transparency in the judiciary, to which Dhankhar responded by promising a structured discussion after consultations with parliamentary leaders.
Meanwhile, calls and messages to Justice Varma’s office by The Indian Express went unanswered.
The controversy has added to broader debates around judicial accountability, as the Rajya Sabha also discussed a separate notice regarding alleged remarks by an Allahabad High Court judge, with Dhankhar stating that verification of MPs’ signatures on an impeachment motion is ongoing.
