Lucknow: In an unprecedented move, Chief Justice and all the judges of the Allahabad High Court, as well as the Bar Association, have strongly opposed the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Verma of the Delhi High Court back to the Allahabad bench following the recovery of a huge amount of money from his residence.
In a statement, the HCBA stated that "we aren't a trash bin" and made it clear that corruption will not be tolerated in the judiciary. The move comes after reports that "Rs. 15 crores of cash" were found at Justice Verma's official residence in Delhi. The money was recovered when a fire broke out at Justice Verma's residence during his absence.
The Association was shocked by the decision of the Supreme Court collegium to transfer Justice Verma to his parent High Court. "This decision of the collegium of the Supreme Court raises a serious question as to whether the Allahabad High Court is a trash bin. This matter becomes important when we examine the current situation wherein the Allahabad High Court is short of judges. New judges have not been appointed in the last many years. It also expressed concern by appointing Bar Council members as judges without consulting it.
The Bar was never consulted. Consideration of eligibility appears to be not up to the mark. Something is lacking, which has resulted in corruption, and consequently, great damage has been caused to the "public faith in judiciary", the letter states.
The letter adds that while the High Court is facing "so many problems", especially a shortage of judges resulting in fresh cases not being heard for months, which is "diminishing the faith of the public in the rule of law", it "does not mean that we are thrashing bin". Against this backdrop, adding that the Bar Association feels that a conspiracy behind all these factors is to divide the Allahabad High Court into parts, the Association has decided to convene an emergent General House meeting to take a "suitable decision". The meeting will take place on Monday, March 24.
