Chief Justice of India, Sanjiv Khanna, met with representatives from various high court bar associations on Thursday, ensuring that their plea against the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma would be considered. Anil Tiwari, president of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, relayed the outcome of the discussions held with the Supreme Court’s collegium members including Justices B R Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka, and Vikram Nath.
The meeting, which occurred in the Supreme Court premises, was a response to the collective memorandum submitted by the bar associations of Allahabad, Gujarat, Kerala, Jabalpur, Karnataka, and Lucknow. These associations are seeking a retraction of the collegium’s recommendation to send Justice Varma back to his parent Allahabad High Court—a move spurred by controversial circumstances surrounding an incident at Justice Varma’s residence.
According to bar leaders, on March 14, a fire at Justice Varma’s residence in Lutyens Delhi led to the discovery of burnt wads of cash. This incident, which did not result in an FIR, has raised significant concerns among the legal community, prompting calls for transparency and accountability.
The bar associations have been particularly vocal about their dissatisfaction, resulting in the Allahabad High Court Bar Association commencing an indefinite strike since March 25. The strike is a direct protest against what they perceive as mishandling of the situation involving Justice Varma, who was relieved of his duties shortly after the incident by a directive from the CJI.
In their memorandum, the bar leaders commended the Chief Justice for his efforts towards enhancing transparency within the judiciary, notably his decision to publicly release the report of the Delhi High Court Chief Justice and other pertinent documents on the Supreme Court’s website.
Furthermore, the memorandum urges the Chief Justice and the collegium to consider the serious implications of the allegations and to initiate appropriate legal proceedings to address potential criminal activities related to the fire incident.
