NEW DELHI: Delhi high court has issued a public notice informing that fresh hearings will be conducted in 52 pending cases that were earlier being heard by a division bench headed by Justice Yashwant Varma.
These are cases where the next date of hearing was given but no orders passed. The notice states, “It is hereby notified for the information of all concerned that the following matters, previously listed before the division bench comprising Justice Yashwant Varma and Justice Harish Vaidyanathan Shankar, in which a next hearing date was assigned but no orders were drawn, shall be re-listed and heard afresh.”
Justice Varma was transferred from Delhi HC to Allahabad HC following an ongoing in-house probe into allegations that a semi-burnt pile of cash was discovered at his residence last month. A majority of the 52 cases that will now be heard afresh by a new bench relate to tax matters, including GST-related disputes.
Recently, his swearing-in was conducted privately instead of at the customary public ceremony after the bar bodies of Allahabad opposed his transfer. Before his transfer, Justice Varma served at Delhi HC where his tenure was marked by handling key cases across constitutional and corporate law.
His name became embroiled in controversy after a substantial amount of cash was allegedly discovered at his residence during a fire on March 14. The Supreme Court conducted a preliminary inquiry into the matter and published a report, but due to the sensitivity of the case, it kept the findings redacted, restricting public and parliamentary access. SC has also constituted an in-house panel comprising three sitting judges to inquire into the matter before further action.
