The Central government has officially notified the transfer of Delhi High Court judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, back to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court. The decision follows a recommendation by the Supreme Court Collegium on March 24.

Justice Varma's transfer comes in the wake of a controversy that erupted after a fire at his residence allegedly led to the discovery of a significant amount of unaccounted cash by firefighters.

The Collegium deliberated on the matter in two separate meetings held on March 20 and March 24 before finalizing its recommendation.

According to reports from Times of India, the fire occurred on March 14 at Justice Varma’s home, where his daughter and elderly mother were present while he and his wife were away in Madhya Pradesh. Firefighters responding to the incident reportedly uncovered burnt currency, a development that led to further scrutiny. A video of the recovery was also purportedly shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner with the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court.

Following the incident, Chief Justice of India (CJI) initiated an in-house inquiry on March 21, forming a three-member committee to investigate the matter. The Supreme Court also made public a report from the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, along with Justice Varma’s response.

Justice Yashwant Varma, born in 1969, completed his LLB from Rewa University in Madhya Pradesh and enrolled as an advocate in 1992. Over his legal career, he has served as special counsel for the Allahabad High Court and as chief standing counsel for the State of Uttar Pradesh. In 2013, he was designated a Senior Advocate and was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court in October 2014. He became a permanent judge in February 2017 before being transferred to the Delhi High Court on October 11, 2021.

His return to the Allahabad High Court marks another significant development in judicial transfers, especially in the backdrop of ongoing inquiries into the controversy.