CJI Orders Inquiry Against Justice Yashwant Varma Over Unaccounted Cash Allegations

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna has set up a three-member committee to investigate Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma.

Authorities reportedly found a large amount of unaccounted cash at his residence in the national capital.

Firefighters discovered the cash last week while dousing a fire at Justice Varma’s house.

The incident raised serious concerns, prompting immediate action.

“The Chief Justice of India has formed a three-member committee. It includes Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court, and Justice Anu Sivaraman of Karnataka High Court,” the Supreme Court said in a statement.

Meanwhile, the Delhi High Court Chief Justice has been directed not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma.

The Supreme Court also confirmed that it will upload the report, Justice Varma’s response, and related documents on its website.

On Friday, CJI Khanna received a detailed report from the Delhi High Court Chief Justice.

He will now review the findings and decide the next steps.

In a separate move, the Supreme Court clarified that Justice Varma’s proposed transfer to the Allahabad High Court is unrelated to this inquiry.

If transferred, he would move from being the second seniormost judge in the Delhi High Court to ninth in seniority at Allahabad High Court.

Justice Varma, born in January 1969, earned his law degree from Rewa University. The Allahabad High Court designated him as a senior advocate in 2013.

He became an Additional Judge in 2014 and moved to the Delhi High Court in 2021. He currently handles constitutional, sales tax, and GST-related cases.

The inquiry’s findings will determine the next course of action.

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