New Delhi, 21 March

Large sums of cash were allegedly found in Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma’s residence, during a fire incident, sparking a major controversy. The official amount of money is yet to be disclosed.

The Supreme Court collegium acted swiftly and have initiated the process to transfer Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court.

The five-member collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna held an urgent meeting following the reported incident and decided to initiate the process of shifting Justice Varma out of the Delhi High Court.

Justice Varma's proposed transfer can come into effect after the Centre accepts the collegium's recommendation, which is yet to be sent officially. The collegium can also take further follow-up action, if required.

The Allahabad High Court Bar Association on the other hand, opposed the transfer saying it was not a "trash bin". The statement added, "The decision of the collegium raises a serious question as to whether the Allahabad high Court is a trash bin?"

The collegium also commenced an initial inquiry into the mater. The initial inquiry, which is not an in-house inquiry as envisaged in Supreme Court judgements, would entail seeking of a primary report on the incident from the Chief Justice of the Delhi High Court

Many however have demanded stricter action against Justive Varma, as the issue broke into Parliament.

Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal said the issue of corruption within the judiciary is a very serious one and called for making the appointment of judges more transparent.

"It has been going on for years. It is time for the Supreme Court to start looking at issues of how the appointment process takes place. That it should be more transparent and appointments should be more carefully carefully done," the Independent Rajya Sabha MP said.