The Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA) has strongly opposed the proposed repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court following the alleged recovery of a large sum of unaccounted cash, reportedly Rs 15 crore, from his residence.
In a resolution passed soon after the news of the judge's transfer by a Supreme Court collegium was reported, the association said, "We were taken aback that the Supreme Court has transferred Justice Yashwant Varma back to Allahabad High Court."
In a strongly worded letter to the Chief Justice and all judges of the Allahabad High Court, the HCBA made it clear that the court should not be treated as a "trash bin" and firmly stated its zero-tolerance stance on corruption.
The Bar Association also raised concerns over the severe shortage of judges in the Allahabad High Court, highlighting that new appointments have been pending for years.
The association further criticised the lack of consultation with the Bar while elevating members to the judiciary.
"It is also of grave concern that while elevating members of the Bar, the Bar was never consulted. Consideration of eligibility appears to be not up to the mark. Something is lacking... which has resulted in corruption and consequently, the public's faith in the judiciary is damaged," the letter stated.
A fire at the home of Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma last week had allegedly led to the discovery of a large amount of unaccounted cash, prompting the Supreme Court Collegium to transfer him to the Allahabad High Court.
CJI Sanjiv Khanna-led Collegium approved Varma's transfer back to his parent 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 Supreme Court collegium also commenced an initial inquiry against Varma. 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.
According to reports, Justice Yashwant Varma was not in town when the fire broke out at his residence on March 14. His family members called the fire and rescue services and the police.
The 56-year-old judge, enrolled as an advocate in 1992, was appointed as an additional judge of the Allahabad High Court on October 13, 2014 and took oath as a permanent judge of that court on February 1, 2016.
While the Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna is stated to have initiated the process to transfer Justice Varma from Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, the judge did not hold his court on Friday.
Justice Varma was born on January 6, 1969 in Allahabad.He studied B.Com (Honours) course at Hansraj College at Delhi University and obtained his LLB degree from Madhya Pradesh's Rewa University.
As an advocate at the Allahabad High Court, he practised matters of constitutional, labour and industrial legislations aside from corporate laws, taxation and allied branches of law.
He was also the special counsel for the Allahabad High Court from 2006 till his elevation apart from being the chief standing counsel for the Uttar Pradesh government from 2012 till August 2013 when he was designated as a senior advocate.
