Supreme Court begins in-house probe against Justice Yashwant Varma after cash pile was recovery from his residence

The Supreme Court has initiated an in-house probe against Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma after a pile of unaccounted cash was recovered from his residence in the national capital during a fire incident on Holi.

The apex court has also sought a report from Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, legal news website Bar & Bench reported quoting unnamed sources.

A fire at the judge's house had led to the recovery of cash by the firefighters, as reported first by the Times of India. The Supreme Court Collegium had then decided to repatriate Justice Varma back to the Allahabad High Court, his parent High Court.

However, at a full court meeting of all Supreme Court judges held on March 21, it was suggested that a punitive transfer would not be enough and some concrete action has to be taken against the judge, Bar & Bench said.

The full court on Friday unanimously agreed to an in-house probe, with transfer as the first step. The Allahabad High Court Bar Association has reportedly opposed the proposed repatriation of Justice Yashwant Verma. The Bar has shot off a letter to the Chief Justice of India expressing its opposition.

Who is Justice Yashwant Varma?

The cash was recovered from Justice Varma's house after fire incident on March 14, during Holi celebrations. Justice Varma was reportedly out of town when the fire broke out. After dousing the fire, officials discovered a large sum of cash inside one of the rooms, the Times of India report said.

Justice Yashwant Varma was Born on January, 6 1969 in Allahabad, now Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. He pursued the B.Com [Honours] degree at Hansraj College, Delhi University and was awarded the LLB degree by Rewa University, Madhya Pradesh.

He was enrolled as an Advocate on August 8, 1992, elevated as Additional Judge at the Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014 and took oath as the Permanent Judge on February 1, 2016. Justice Varma was transferred to Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021.

Justice Yashwant Varma held the office of the Chief Standing Counsel for Uttar Pradesh from 2012 till August 2013 when was designated as a Senior Advocate by the Court.