Delhi High Court judge with cash stash at home approved big Income Tax scrutiny

Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court, known for his impeccable 22-year career, faced a setback when a significant amount of money was discovered at his home today following a fire that required firefighters’ intervention.

Recently, one of Justice Varma’s significant rulings attracted attention after he rejected the Congress’s plea contesting the start of tax evaluations for the years 2014 to 2017, prior to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, allowing the Income Tax officials to review the party’s historical I-T documents.

Hours after the legal community was stunned by reports of large sums of cash being found at his home, the Supreme Court Collegium suggested his return to his original High Court in Allahabad following discussions with Bar members who contacted Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya.

Soon after, Justice Varma was reassigned to the Allahabad High Court, where he was appointed as a permanent judge for the first time in 2016. Prior to being promoted to the role of a permanent judge, Justice Varma was designated as an Additional Judge of the Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014. In the midst of the heated controversy, Justice Varma took the day off as the Supreme Court launched an inquiry into him.

In addition to allowing the I-T authorities to investigate Congress’s historical records, Justice Varma, while affirming the fundamental right to free speech and expression, rejected requests to halt the release of the Netflix series ‘Trial by Fire,’ which is inspired by the Uphaar Cinema fire incident from 1997.

In light of the real estate mogul and his co-defendant in the Uphaar fire tragedy case, Sushil Ansal, voicing their objections, Justice Varma, through a comprehensive ruling, stated: “Upholding the principle of freedom, which entails the right to publish even that which governments and judges, however well-intentioned, think should not be published.”