Justice Yashwant Varma, who is currently under a Supreme Court-monitored investigation after a large amount of cash was found at his home, took oath as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on Saturday. The ceremony was held simply and privately.

However, Justice Varma will not be given any judicial duties while the inquiry is still going on. In terms of seniority at the Allahabad High Court, he is ranked sixth, after the Chief Justice. Unlike the usual public oath-taking ceremonies held for judges, Justice Varma took his oath privately in a chamber. Even though the Allahabad Bar Association protested his transfer, the Central government officially moved him back from Delhi to the Allahabad High Court on March 28. This decision was based on a recommendation from the Supreme Court Collegium.

The bar body had announced that it would not accept judges facing corruption charges and had decided to go on an indefinite strike. However, they postponed the strike after Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna promised that their demand would be addressed. The Supreme Court deemed a petition for a formal complaint against Justice Varma "premature" and dismissed it last week. The top court stated that the three-member panel is investigating the incident and that a decision regarding the filing of a formal complaint would be made once the investigation is completed. The petitioners said that no one was arrested and nothing was seized after the scandal was exposed on March 20.

Earlier, on March 14, a fire broke out in the outhouse of Justice Yashwant Varma's home. At that time, Justice Varma was not in the city. When the police and firefighters reached the spot, they found piles of half-burnt cash in the storeroom. A three-member panel was established by the CJI to conduct a thorough investigation into the occurrence as it caused a lot of controversy in the legal community. On the grounds that he was being "defamed in the press," Justice Varma has dismissed the charges.