New Delhi: The Supreme Court collegium Monday recommended Justice Yashwant Varma’s repatriation from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, days after the discovery of a huge amount of unaccounted-for cash at his residence during a fire.
“The Supreme Court Collegium in its meetings held on 20 and 24 March has recommended repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma, Judge, High Court of Delhi, to the High Court of Judicature at Allahabad,” a statement from the Supreme Court said.
The resolution was made public hours after the Allahabad High Court Bar Association demanded that all judgments delivered by Justice Varma as a judge of the Allahabad and Delhi high courts be looked into, and immediate steps be taken for his impeachment.
The bar association also vociferously opposed Justice Varma’s transfer to the Allahabad HC, its Lucknow bench or any other high court Monday, with its president Anil Tiwari saying, “Let him sit in Delhi, and scrutinise him there.”
The bar association had objected last week as well, saying it was “taken aback” by the proposal. “This decision of the collegium of the Supreme Court raises a serious question as to whether the Allahabad High Court is [a] thrash bin (sic)?” said its notice marked to the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court and all high court judges.
The Delhi high court on Monday had also announced that judicial work has been withdrawn from Varma with immediate effect until further orders.
Meanwhile, Justice Varma has denied the allegations of the cash belonging to him or his family members.
In a clarification to Delhi High Court Chief Justice Devendra Upadhyaya, Justice Varma had said, “I state unequivocally that no cash was ever placed in that storeroom by me or any of my family members, and I strongly denounce the insinuation that the alleged cash belonged to us.”
(Edited by Gitanjali Das)
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