By Rajesh Pandey
Justice Yashwant Varma, who is facing an in-house inquiry over allegations of unaccounted cash found at his official residence in Delhi, took oath as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on Saturday.
The oath was administered by the Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Arun Bhansali in his chamber at 9.30 a.m.
Unlike the usual public oath-taking ceremonies organized for judges, where the event is often attended by various dignitaries and made a formal occasion, Justice Varma took his oath in a private setting, within chamber.
The central government notified the repatriation of Justice Varma from Delhi to the Allahabad High Court on March 28, based on the Supreme Court Collegium’s recommendations made on March 24.
Justice Varma is facing an in-house inquiry by a three-judge panel constituted by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) over the allegations regarding the discovery of illicit cash at his official premises.
It is significant to note that the transfer order had come despite the protests of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA).
Justice Varma, who originally belonged to the Allahabad High Court and took oath as judge here in 2014, was transferred to the Delhi High Court in 2021.
Justice Varma became a centre of controversy on March 21 after the publication of news reports that a fire at a storeroom in the outhouse of his official bungalow led to the discovery of sacks of cash.
On March 22, the CJI, Justice Sanjiv Khanna, constituted a three-member committee to conduct an inquiry into the allegations against Justice Varm as part of the in-house procedure.
This was followed by the Supreme Court making the video of the fire dousing, the report of the Delhi High Court Chief Justice, and Justice Varma’s response public on its official website. Justice Varma has denied possession of cash and claimed it to be a conspiracy against him.
On March 24, the Delhi High Court withdrew judicial work from Justice Varma in pursuance of directions from the Apex Court.
After his transfer to the Allahabad Court, the chief justice of India (CJI) asked the chief justice of Allahabad High Court not to assign judicial work to Justice Varma.
