Judge Cash Video: Anger in Bar Associations Across Country Over SC's Decision to Transfer Justice Varma

New Delhi: Touted as the biggest scandal in Indian judiciary, the Judge Cash Scam has led to a massive revolt in the country's legal fraternity, angering the Bar Associations across the country, over the decision of the Supreme Court Collegium, led by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma to his parent court, the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad.

Justice Yashwant Varma's Transfer Angers Bar Associations Across India

The Bar Association of Oudh and Kerala are among the many bar associations across the country, who have expressed their anger and dissatisfaction to the apex court's decision to transfer the Delhi High Court judge, after the recovery of burnt cash at his residence in the national capital. Here's what the different bar associations have to say on the alleged corruption charges on Justice Varma and his transfer by the Supreme Court…

Allahabad High Court Bar Association

Anil Tiwari, the President of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association said, “The question is of transparency; public faith is shattered and so nothing should be kept confidential. 99 percent people in judiciary are honest and only a few are to be blamed for such incidents. Materials related to the case, should be made available in the public domain; why is the Supreme Court not sharing all the details of the case, who are they trying to protect? We are trying to contact all bar associations in the country and the Allahabad Bar Association is going to hold a meeting on Monday and pass a resolution. We are in touch with the Gujarat and Kerala Bar Association; other associations are also supporting our cause.” He also said, “Kuch logon ne talab ganda kar rakha hai…” 

Also Read: Big Breaking In Delhi Judge Cash Video: Multiple Videos Shot But Were Deleted, Asked Not To Circulate

The Allahabad High Court Bar Association, had also opposed the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to his parent court earlier and had said in a statement, “The decision of the collegium raises a serious question as to whether the Allahabad High Court is a trash bin? Presently, we are facing so many problems particularly shortage of judges resulting in fresh cases not being heard for months thereby diminishing the faith of the public in the rule of the law but it does not mean we are a trash bin. We are not ready to accept corruption.”

Bar Association of Oudh

Ripu Daman, the President of the Bar Association of Oudh has also issued a statement and has opposed the transfer of the Delhi HC judge to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad. Threatening that the courts will be boycotted if Justice Yashwant Varma is transferred to Allahabad or Lucknow, the Oudh Bar Association said, “We are concerned about the changing version of the Supreme Court regarding the recovery of cash. Nobody is going to believe that the transfer is not related to the recovery of cash.”

Advocates' Association, Bengaluru

The Advocates' Bar Association, Bengaluru has raised a lot of questions with respect to the Indian Judiciary. The association has called for a meeting on Monday and among other subjects, discussions shall be done regarding growing concerns of corruption in higher judiciary having regard to the recent incident of huge cash haul at Delhi High Court Judge Yashwant Varma's house. A discussion will also be done regarding the necessity of the collegium of Supreme Court to take up the issue seriously and to impeach such Judges and to establish a simpler mechanism for removal of Judges who are corrupt.

Karnataka Bar Association

Vivek Reddy of the Karnataka Bar Association has said that all bar associations across India should meet up, to discuss this burning issue, which is tarnishing the image of the Indian judiciary and shaking the people's faith in the institution. He has further said that members of bar associations across the country must go to New Delhi and visit CJI Sanjiv Khanna.

Delhi High Court Bar Association

Mohit Mathur, the President of the Delhi High Court Bar Association has said that an enquiry must be held; at the same time, he has also said that Justice Yashwant Varma must be given a fair opportunity to speak. He has said that the bar associations should make a representation but no questions should be raised on the High Court till the enquiry is completed. The Delhi High Court Bar Association has disagreed with the Karnataka Bar Association's call to have a collective meeting. 

Kerala High Court Advocate Association

The Kerala High Court Advocate Association says that judges are not above the law and has called for immediate action from bar associations to address this matter. They stressed the need for transparency and warned that criminal law must be enforced to prevent the destruction of evidence.

Punjab Bar association

The Punjab Bar Association echoed that there is unanimous demand for accountability within the legal fraternity. They highlighted the importance of conducting a thorough inquiry into the issue and have called for a general house meeting to discuss the matter further.

Why Is There Controversy Over Transfer of Delhi HC Judge?

The fire incident in a storeroom at the official residence of Delhi High Court judge Yashwant Varma was reported on the night of March 14. Following this, the Supreme Court Collegium, chaired by CJI Sanjiv Khanna, convened a full court meeting and decided to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma to his parent court, the Allahabad High Court. 

Shortly after the transfer, the Supreme Court issued a statement clarifying that the decision was not linked to the ongoing investigation into the burnt cash case. It emphasized that the transfer was "independent and separate" from the in-house inquiry process. The transfer decision is not being considered enough, for the alleged corruption charges levelled against the High Court judge. Several legal stalwarts are questioning Supreme Court's course of action and are also demanding a deeper probe and stricter action.

Justice Yashwant Varma Denies All Allegations, Stands Firm on ‘No Money Kept’ Stand

While the Supreme Court of India has released a video from the night of the fire incident, showing a huge amount of burnt cash in the storeroom of the Delhi High Court judge's residence in the national capital, the judge, in a written statement, has denied the allegations and has called it a likely ‘conspiracy’ against him.

“I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom either by me or any of my family members and strongly denounce the suggestion that the alleged cash belonged to us. The very idea or suggestion that this cash was kept or stored by us is totally preposterous. The suggestion that one would store cash in an open, freely accessible, and commonly used storeroom near the staff quarters or in an outhouse verges on the incredible and incredulous. It is a room completely disassociated from my living areas, and a boundary wall demarcates my living area from that outhouse. I only wish that the media had conducted some inquiry before I came to be indicted and defamed in the press”, reads a part of the statement issued by Justice Yashwant Varma, which has been released by the Supreme Court.