Justice Yashwant Varma transfer: Allahabad High Court Bar Association calls for strike

Justice Yashwant Varma. File
| Photo Credit: PTI

Amid the corruption row against Delhi High Court Judge Justice Yashwant Varma, the Allahabad High Court Bar Association on Monday (March 24, 2025) demanded that all the judgments delivered by him during his tenure as a judge be reviewed, and passed a resolution for an indefinite strike till the withdrawal of the order to transfer Justice Varma to the High court.

This demand comes at a time when the Supreme Court transferred Justice Varma to the Allahabad High Court. Earlier, it was alleged that piles of burnt cash were recovered from the store room of the official residence of the judge.

“All the judgments delivered by Justice Yashwant Varma during his tenure as a judge at the Allahabad High Court and Delhi High Court be reviewed to inspire confidence of people at large to regain ‘public faith’ in the judicial system. The manner in which this is to be done is to be decided by the Supreme Court as we have full trust in our judges,” the letter by the Allahabad High Court Bar Association says.

The Bar Association said that after Justice Varma’s incident, the judiciary, especially the High Court and the Supreme Court, might not be able to claim moral high ground. Maintaining its strong opposition against the transfer of Justice Varma to the parent Allahabad High Court or its Lucknow Bench, the Bar Association once again said the Allahabad High Court was not a dumping ground for corrupt and tainted judges.

Criminal proceedings

“After having considered the entire report which has been uploaded on the website of the Supreme Court and in particular the reply of Justice Varma, the association rejects his reply and reiterates that appropriate criminal proceedings should be lodged against him by filing a first information report in the matter which should be investigated by the Central Bureau of Investigation and the Enforcement Directorate,” said Anil Tiwari, president AHCBA.

He said it was unfortunate that Justice Varma continues to deny his role and was crying foul and frame-up instead of stepping down with grace and dignity and let the law of the land take its own course. 

“We further place on record with full trust, respect and confidence in our judicial system which is manned by absolutely honest, dedicated and hard-working persons. We have full faith in our judges. We must record that there are only few who are polluting this flow of judicial river and thus demand for strict action in accordance with the general law of this country by withdrawing all protections. The damage is caused not only to the public trust but also to the image of impartial justice which cannot be tolerated at all,” the letter reads.