Justice Yashwant Varma’s career path is remarkable for the unconventional academic path he took before entering the higher judiciary.
Unlike students who pursue law right after school, Varma began his higher education in commerce before moving into the legal profession.
Varma completed his Bachelor of Commerce (Honours) from Hansraj College, University of Delhi. He pursued LLB from Rewa University in Madhya Pradesh. His academic transition from commerce to law paved the way for a career that would take him to some of India’s leading constitutional courts.
After completing his legal education, Varma became an advocate on August 8, 1992. He first went to Allahabad High Court to practice law and handled many different legal matters. His work included constitutional, taxation, corporate law, industrial and labour disputes, environmental and civil cases.
Varma had a number of important legal responsibilities over the years. He served as Special Counsel of Allahabad High Court and later as Chief Standing Counsel for Uttar Pradesh Government from 2012 to August 2013. After that, he was appointed as a Senior Advocate by Allahabad High Court.
His transition from legal practitioner to judge came in 2014. Varma was appointed as an Additional Judge of Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014, and as a Permanent Judge on February 1, 2016. He later moved to the National Capital in October 2021 when he was appointed as a Judge of Delhi High Court.
In April 2025, Varma was transferred from the Delhi High Court to Allahabad High Court and took oath as a judge there on April 5.
And later, his career came under intense public and institutional scrutiny after the discovery of cash at his official residence in Delhi after a fire. The allegations triggered a probe and were the subject of great legal and political interest.
Varma resigned from judicial office on April 10, 2026, in the midst of the ongoing controversy.
While the latter stages of his career received much attention, his educational career is still remarkable. Starting with a commerce degree and going on to law, Varma enjoyed a career in legal practices, government representation, senior advocacy and judicial work.
His story illustrates that a career in law does not necessarily begin with an undergraduate law degree. A commerce background, a formal legal education and years of professional experience brought Varma to the High Court bench.
