A fire that broke out in Delhi on March 14 at the residence of Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma led to the discovery of a large pile of cash in his home, sparking a row.

The fire occurred when Justice Varma was not at home. As the blaze spread, firefighters and police personnel arrived at the scene, where they reportedly discovered a huge pile of cash in one of the rooms.

Following this discovery, the matter was brought to the attention of the judiciary and the government. As a result, the Supreme Court Collegium reportedly decided to transfer Justice Varma back to his parent High Court in Allahabad.

Criticising the incident, Senior Advocate Kapil Sibal stated, “The issue of corruption within the judiciary is a very serious matter. This is not something that senior counsels and lawyers in the country have raised for the first time. It has been happening for years. It is time for the Supreme Court to examine how the appointment process is conducted. The process should be more transparent and carefully executed. Corruption is a grave issue, and despite what Prime Minister Modi has said, corruption has only increased.”

Who is Justice Yashwant Varma?

Born in 1969, in Allahabad, Justice Yashwant Varma pursued a B Com (Honours) degree from Delhi University. He later obtained an LLB from Rewa University in Madhya Pradesh and enrolled as an advocate in 1992.

Justice Varma began his judicial career as an Additional Judge of the Allahabad High Court in 2014. He was confirmed as a Permanent Judge in 2016, and was later transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021.