Justice Yashwant Varma Takes Oath As Allahabad HC Judge, But Can’t Take Up Judicial Work

Justice Yashwant Varma took oath as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on Saturday but will not be assigned any judicial work for the time being, as per directions issued by the Supreme Court.

The top court, in a statement issued earlier, clarified that the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court has been asked not to allocate any judicial work to Justice Varma when he assumes charge. “The Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court for the time being has been asked not to assign any judicial work to Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, when he assumes charge as a Judge of the Allahabad High Court,” read a statement issued by the Supreme Court in March.

Justice Varma’s transfer came amid a controversy linked to the alleged recovery of a large quantity of burnt currency notes from a storeroom attached to his bungalow in the national capital. The incident occurred on March 14, when the fire brigade visited the premises to extinguish a blaze.

Previously, the Union Ministry of Law and Justice issued a notification formalising the transfer. “In exercise of the power conferred by clause (1) of Article 222 of the Constitution of India, the President, after consultation with the Chief Justice of India, is pleased to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, Delhi High Court, to be a Judge of Allahabad High Court and to direct him to assume charge of his office in the Allahabad High Court,” the notification stated.

Supreme Court Collegium Recommended Justice Varma’s Transfer

The Supreme Court Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, had recommended Justice Varma’s repatriation to the Allahabad High Court. “The Supreme Court Collegium in its meetings held on 20th and 24th March 2025 has recommended repatriation of Mr Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, High Court of Delhi, to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad,” said a statement uploaded on the Supreme Court’s website.

The Supreme Court also noted that the transfer recommendation was independent of the ongoing in-house enquiry procedure. “The proposal for the transfer of Justice Varma, who is the second senior-most judge in the Delhi High Court, to his parent High Court i.e. the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, where he will be the ninth in seniority, is independent and separate from the in-house enquiry procedure,” the court stated.

Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member committee to inquire into the allegations against Justice Varma and directed the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court not to assign him any judicial work in the interim.

Subsequently, Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyaya of the Delhi High Court withdrew judicial responsibilities from Justice Varma until further orders.

Last month, representatives of various bar associations met with Chief Justice Khanna and senior members of the Supreme Court Collegium, urging them to withdraw the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court.

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