Justice Yashwant Varma was sworn in as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on Saturday, even as controversy swirls around him. The oath-taking ceremony, which typically draws the attendance of various dignitaries, was held privately amid public backlash. Justice Varma is currently under an internal inquiry following the reported recovery of cash from his official residence in Delhi.
Despite the formal swearing-in, he will not be assigned any judicial responsibilities for now, according to court sources cited by the Times of India. Just days earlier, on Wednesday, advocate Vikash Chaturvedi filed a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) before the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, urging the Chief Justice not to allocate judicial duties to Justice Varma until the inquiry concludes.
The central government had issued a notification on March 28 transferring Justice Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, following a recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium.
The order stated: “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 Shri Justice Yashwant Varma… to be a Judge of Allahabad High Court…”
Responding to the allegations, Justice Varma maintained he had no knowledge of the cash found at the residence and was not in Delhi at the time of the discovery. He clarified that the room in question was not part of his home but a common storage area accessible from both the front and back gates of the staff quarters.
“This room was generally used to store items like unused furniture, crockery, garden tools, and CPWD material. It is not connected to the main residence and is accessible to several people,” he said, asserting that the incident appears to be a deliberate attempt to damage his reputation.