Withdraw Justice Yashwant Varma's Transfer: High Court Bar Association Heads Meet CJI Sanjiv Khanna

New Delhi: The heads of various High Court Bar Associations met Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna and demanded the withdrawal of the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court.

After the meeting, Karnataka High Court Bar Association President Vivek Reddy told media that the CJI had assured them of a thorough probe into the matter. He added that the CJI met with them alongside four senior judges, as 18 bar associations have united in opposition to this transfer.

The High Court Bar Association also released a joint statement demanding that criminal law be set in motion against Justice Yashwant Varma, as would be applicable to any government servant. The statement also calls for the Collegium to withdraw the transfer order of Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court. 

Pressure surrounding Justice Varma has intensified following the recovery of a large stack of unaccounted cash from his residence on the night of March 14-15, 2025. Chiefs of several bar associations met with the Chief Justice of Delhi High Court and senior counsel Kapil Sibal at his residence. They also met with senior judges of the Collegium to demand the immediate withdrawal of Justice Varma’s transfer order. 

The statement, issued by the heads of the High Court Bar Associations, includes the following points:

First Statement: The Bar Associations have expressed appreciation for CJI Sanjiv Khanna’s decision to make the report on Justice Yashwant Varma public on the Supreme Court of India’s website. The statement reads, “The Bar Associations place on record their appreciation of the steps taken by the Chief Justice of India to embrace transparency and to make public the report of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi and other materials on the website of the Supreme Court of India.”

Second Statement: They have demanded the immediate withdrawal of Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad High Court. A protest is currently underway at the Allahabad High Court over this transfer following the alleged cash recovery. The statement said, “The Bar Associations request the Chief Justice and the Collegium to withdraw the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma and to withdraw all administrative work, in addition to the judicial work, which has already been withdrawn.”

READ MORE: Cash Recovery at Justice Yashwant Varma's Home: Phones of 8 Cops Under Scanner for Evidence Tampering | Republic World

Third Statement: The associations have called for criminal proceedings to be initiated against Justice Varma, asserting that evidence would not have been destroyed had criminal law been set in motion from the beginning. It stated, “To set the criminal law in motion as is applicable to any government servant. According to the report of the Chief Justice of the High Court of Delhi, somebody removed articles from the premises on March 15, 2025, and had criminal law been set in motion, the evidence would not have been destroyed. In these kinds of crimes, there would be involvement of others, and non-registration would adversely affect their prosecution.”

Fourth Statement:  The statement urges the establishment of accountability standards for judges of the higher judiciary and a reassessment of the current in-house procedure approved by the Supreme Court in 1999, the Restatement of Values of Judicial Life adopted in 1997, and the Bangalore Principles of 2002.

Additionally, the statement noted that the presidents of the Bar Associations will meet at the Allahabad High Court, where protests are ongoing, if the transfer order of Justice Yashwant Varma is not withdrawn. It said, “The Presidents of the Bar Associations will meet at Allahabad in the event of non-withdrawal of the transfer order of Justice Yashwant Varma to show solidarity with the High Court Bar Association of Allahabad.”

Today, 14 heads of High Court Bar Associations met in New Delhi to discuss the Justice Yashwant Varma cash recovery controversy.