Justice Yashwant Verma has refused to vacate his Delhi bungalow after being transferred to the Allahabad High Court, with CRPF security still in place. His remark, “I’ll keep coming back,” has triggered debate over judicial propriety and official housing norms.
Lucknow: Justice Yashwant Verma, recently transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, has reportedly refused to vacate his government-allotted bungalow in Delhi.
This has raised serious questions regarding judicial propriety, government housing rules, and the independence of judiciary versus the privileges that come with high office.
When questioned about his decision to retain the Delhi residence, Justice Verma reportedly said, “he’ll Keep coming back”. This remark has gone viral on social media and sparked widespread criticism and curiosity among legal observers and the general public.
Justice Yashwant Varma was sworn in as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on April 5.
Recently, Justice Varma was transferred from Delhi back to his parent High Court, the Allahabad High Court, during an in-house investigation regarding unaccounted cash discovered at his residence by firefighters responding to a fire.
Despite the protests from the Allahabad and Lucknow Bar Associations, Justice Varma took his oath as a judge of the Allahabad High Court today.
Earlier, A Public Interest Litigation (PIL) submitted to the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Wednesday, requesting a directive to the Chief Justice to refrain from administering the oath to Justice Yashwant Varma, according to court sources.
The PIL referenced the ongoing internal inquiry initiated by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) regarding the discovery of “four to five semi-burnt sacks” of Indian currency notes at Justice Varma’s residence following a fire incident last month.
Justice Varma was recently transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court amid the controversy regarding the cash recovery. The PIL, filed by Vikash Chaturvedi, is scheduled for a hearing on April 4, as per the sources.
The Supreme Court Collegium’s decision to transfer Justice Varma amid this controversy faced significant opposition from lawyers’ associations in Uttar Pradesh. However, the Central government approved the transfer on March 28.
The Central Government announced the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court back to his original position at the Allahabad High Court.
This decision followed a recommendation from the Supreme Court Collegium made on March 24.
Additionally, The Supreme Court of India directed the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court not to assign any judicial responsibilities to Justice Yashwant Varma.
A fire broke out at Justice Varma’s home on the evening of March 14, during which unaccounted cash was inadvertently found by firefighters.
A video depicting the recovery of the burnt cash was reportedly shared by the Delhi Police Commissioner with the Chief Justice of the High Court.
At the time of the incident, Justice Varma and his wife were traveling in Madhya Pradesh, leaving only their daughter and elderly mother at home. On March 21, the Chief Justice of India (CJI) initiated an internal investigation into the allegations, appointing a three-member committee to carry out the inquiry.