Allahabad High Court Lawyers Strike Over Justice Yashwant Varma Transfer

Allahabad High Court lawyers will go on an indefinite strike to protest the Supreme Court Collegium’s decision to return to them Justice Yashwant Varma – the Delhi High Court judge from whose bungalow in the city a pile of burnt cash was reportedly recovered on Holi.

Justice Varma was previously an additional judge, and then a judge, at the Allahabad High Court, serving from 2014 till his transfer to Delhi in October 2021.

“The Chief Justice of India has been requested not to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court, or any other court, because no court is a dumping ground. He should remain in Delhi under the close watch of the Supreme Court until proceedings are completed,” Anil Tiwari, the President of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, told reporters.

“… also, all judgments by Justice Varma should be reviewed to infuse public confidence again,” he said, as he also called for an inquiry by the CBI and Enforcement Directorate.

Mr Tiwari also spoke about the ‘uncle judge’ syndrome, asking for rules to direct family members of sitting judges to not practice in that court “to ensure transparency”.

Earlier today the Supreme Court issued orders for the transfer of Justice Varma.

The transfer will go through once the union government greenlights the move.

The transfer had been proposed on March 20; this was shortly after the money was found.

Responding to reports linking the two, the Supreme Court said Justice Varma’s return to his parent court had nothing to do with the controversy and that a three-member panel – consisting of the chief justices of three high courts – would conduct an in-house inquiry.

The controversy surrounding the judge broke last week after reports of burnt piles of money were found in an outhouse on the grounds of the bungalow allotted to him.

Justice Varma denied any link between himself or any member of his family and the money and declared himself “shocked”. He said the outhouse is “disconnected from the main residence” and is kept unlocked, meaning it can be accessed by anybody with access to the grounds.