Bar leaders ask Collegium to withdraw Justice Varma’s transfer, want FIR lodged

The leaders of six Bar associations of different high courts on Thursday met Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna-led Supreme Court Collegium and demanded the withdrawal of the recommendation to transfer Justice Yashwant Varma of the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court.

Justice Varma has been in the eye of the storm following discovery of unaccounted cash at his residence during a fire incident on March 14. The leaders of the Bar associations of the high courts of Allahabad, Gujarat, Kerala, Jabalpur, Karnataka and Lucknow (Bench of Allahabad HC), who met the CJI and other Collegium members, also questioned non-registration of an FIR in the incident. The other Collegium members are Justices BR Gavai, Surya Kant, Abhay S Oka and Vikram Nath.

Judicial work has already been withdrawn from Justice Varma. Now, the Bar leaders have sought the withdrawal of all administrative work from him. Justice Varma has denied the allegations saying no cash was ever placed in the storeroom either by him or any of his family members, and that there was an attempt to frame him. The lawyers of the Allahabad High Court are already on an indefinite strike from March 25 against the recommendation to transfer Justice Varma to his parent high court.

The CJI assured the Bar leaders that their demand against the transfer would be considered, Allahabad High Court Bar Association president Anil Tiwari told reporters after the meeting. However, sources said, the CJI did not promise anything.

Earlier, the Bar leaders submitted a memorandum to the CJI’s office, seeking an appointment with him. They appreciated the steps taken by the CJI to embrace transparency and to make public the probe report of Delhi High Court Chief Justice DK Upadhyaya and other materials on the top court’s website.

The memorandum urged the CJI to set the criminal law in motion in the matter claiming Justice Upadhyaya’s report indicated that “somebody removed the articles from Justice Varma’s residence a day after the fire incident”. “In these kinds of crimes, there would be involvement of others and non-registration (of an FIR) would adversely affect their prosecution,” it said.