The alleged discovery of a large stash of cash from the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma drew sharp reactions from the opposition leaders who demanded a fair probe into the matter while some suggested that he should be impeached.
Hours after the Supreme Court notified the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma, the Allahabad High Court Bar Association on Monday announced an indefinite strike from March 25.
Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna has constituted a three-member panel to probe the discovery of "four to five semi-burnt sacks" of Indian currency notes after the fire incident.
However, Justice Varma has strongly denounced the allegations, saying no cash was ever placed in the storeroom of his residence either by him or any of his family members.
Reacting to the developments in the matter, the AAP's Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Singh said, "This is a big issue, people's trust in the judiciary has been damaged."
"This is the first time in the history of India that bundles of currency notes have been discovered from the house of a judge... He should resign and the matter should be investigated. Parliament should also discuss the issue," he said.
Speaking to reporters outside Parliament, Singh said, "They throw opposition leaders in jail even when no money is recovered. (But in this case) crores of rupees have been found and no probe is being conducted."
Congress MP Karti Chidambaram said the committee formed by CJI Khanna is a step forward, adding the government should make a statement on the issue in Parliament.
Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee claimed that people's confidence in the judiciary was webbing away.
The problem in this country is that judges get protection under the Contempt of Courts Act and no one can speak against them." P Sandosh Kumar of the Communist Party of India (CPI) said the judge should be impeached.
Azad Samaj party (ASP) MP Chandra Shekhar demanded that a judicial service commission should be formed.
Meanwhile, the Supreme Court Collegium on Monday recommended the transfer of senior Delhi High Court Judge, Justice Yashwant Varma, who is at the centre of a controversy following discovery of a large sum of burnt currency at his official residence in Delhi, to Allahabad High Court.
The transfer recommendation to the Centre was made public in a resolution uploaded on the top court website.
"The Supreme Court Collegium in its meetings held on March 20 and 24, 2025 has recommended the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, High Court of Delhi, to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad," said the resolution.
On March 21, the Supreme Court said Delhi High Court Chief Justice D K Upadhyaya had initiated an in-house inquiry against Justice Varma and there was a separate proposal to transfer him.
"There is misinformation and rumours are being spread with regard to the incident at the residence of Justice Yashwant Varma," the SC statement added.
Justice Varma's proposed transfer could come into effect after the Centre accepts the recommendation.
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