Justice Yashwant Verma Issue | Delhi HC CJ Commenced Inquiry; Collegium Yet To Recommend Transfer : Supreme Court Clarifies

To clear the rumours regarding the action against Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Verma, from whose residence cash was allegedly recovered, Supreme Court has now come out with certain official clarifications.

The following clarifications have been made :

1. Delhi HC Chief Justice commenced in-house enquiry procedure, prior to the meeting of the Supreme Court Collegium on March 20. Delhi HC CJ will submit report to CJI today and further action will be taken based on it.

2. Pending enquiry, Justice Verma is proposed to be transferred from Delhi HC, as his presence at the Delhi HC might hamper the process. It was clarified that the proposal to transfer is independent of the in-house enquiry procedure.

3. SC Collegium has sought the responses of Justice Verma, CJs of Delhi HC and Allahabad HC on the proposal to transfer Justice Verma. After examining the responses, SC Collegium will take further steps to pass a resolution.

The press release of the Supreme Court stated :

"There is misinformation and rumours being spread with regard to the incident at the residence of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma.

The In-house enquiry procedure set up and prescribed by the Supreme Court in C. Ravichandran Iyer v. Justice A.M. Bhattacharjee (1995) 5 SCC 457 is available on the website of the Supreme Court of India. The In-house procedure was elucidated and explained in Additional District and Sessions Judge 'X' v. Registrar General, High Court of Madhya Pradesh (2015) 4 SCC 91.

On receiving the information, the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court commenced the In-house enquiry procedure collecting evidence and information. The Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court, who had commenced his enquiry prior to the Collegium meeting on 20th March 2025, will be submitting his report to the Chief Justice of India today i.e. on 21st March 2025. The report will be examined and processed for further and necessary action.

The proposal for transfer of Mr. Justice Yashwant Varma, who is the second senior most Judge in the Delhi High Court and a member of the Collegium, to his parent High Court i.e. the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad, where he will be ninth in seniority, is independent and separate from the In-house enquiry procedure. The proposal was examined by the Collegium comprising of the Chief Justice of India 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."