Justice Yashwant Varma transferred to Allahabad High Court amid cash recovery row, barred from judicial work

The Central government on Friday, March 28, notified the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma, currently a Judge of the Delhi High Court, to the Allahabad High Court. The order comes amid the alleged discovery of huge wads of cash from his official residence in New Delhi.

Justice Yashwant Varma has been directed to assume his position and take charge at his parent Allahabad High Court.

For the time being, the Chief Justice of Allahabad HC has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma, when he assumes charge as a Judge of the high court.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had recommended his transfer to Allahabad High Court. In its notification, the top court asserted that the recommendation to move Justice Yashwant Varma was separate from the in-house investigation which was initiated against him after recovery of cash at his residence on the night of Holi.

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

According to a SC 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.”

How did Yashwant Varma react

In his response to Chief Justice of Delhi High Court Justice DK Upadhyay, Justice Varma ‘unequivocally’ denied the allegations against him. He said neither he nor his family members ever placed cash in the storeroom and that the suggestion that this “cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous.”

“I state unequivocally 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. The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous,” Justice Varma said.

“The suggestion that one would store cash in an open, freely accessible and commonly used storeroom near the staff quarters or in an outhouse verges on the incredible and incredulous,” Justice Varma said.