New Delhi: Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna constituted a three-member inquiry committee to investigate allegations of large sum of cash being found at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma, a sitting judge of the Delhi High Court.

The committee comprises Justice Sheel Nagu, Chief Justice of the Punjab & Haryana High Court; Justice G.S. Sandhawalia, Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court; and Justice Anu Sivaraman of the Karnataka High Court.

Additionally, Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay has been directed not to assign any judicial work to Justice Varma until further notice.

The Supreme Court uploaded the inquiry documents on its website, including the report submitted by the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, Justice Varma’s response, and other relevant materials.

Background of the allegations

The controversy arose when firefighters responding to a blaze at Justice Varma’s residence reportedly discovered a large sum of cash. Following this, Delhi High Court Chief Justice D.K. Upadhyay submitted a detailed report to the CJI, reconstructing the sequence of events based on information gathered from first responders.

Judicial transfer and inquiry proceedings

In a related development, the Supreme Court clarified that Justice Varma’s proposed transfer to the Allahabad High Court—where he would rank ninth in seniority—is separate from the ongoing in-house inquiry.

“The proposal was examined by the Collegium comprising of the Chief Justice of India (CJI) and four senior-most Judges of the Supreme Court on 20th March 2025, and thereafter letters were written to the consultee Judges of the Supreme Court, the Chief Justices of the High Courts concerned and Mr Justice Yashwant Varma. Responses received will be examined and, thereupon, the Collegium will pass a resolution,” the SC said.

Justice Yashwant Varma’s legal career

Born in January 1969, Justice Varma earned his law degree from the Rewa University. He specialised in civil law, handling cases related to constitutional matters, industrial disputes, corporate law, taxation, and environmental law.

From 2012 to 2013, he served as the Chief Standing Counsel for Uttar Pradesh before being designated a senior advocate by the Allahabad High Court. He was appointed an Additional Judge in October 2014 and later transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021.

As the second senior-most judge in the Delhi High Court, he presided over cases challenging the constitutional validity of laws, municipal tax regulations, and various commercial disputes. His division bench, along with Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, handled sales tax and GST cases, Letters Patent Appeals, and other commercial matters.