 "Justice Yashwant Varma has been a Delhi High Court judge since October 2021. Image Courtesy: X")
Embattled Delhi High Court Justice Yashwant Varma, who is facing a Supreme Court-monitored probe following the discovery ofa huge sum of cash at his official Delhi residence, took oath as a judge of the Allahabad High Court on Saturday (April 5).
Despite being administered the oath, he will be not be assigned any work until the in-house probe concludes.
According to media reports, Yashwant Varma took oath away from public eye in an unusual fashion. He was administered oath in a private chamber, a move condemned by the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA).
Allahabad High Court Bar Association condemns ‘clandestine’ oath-taking
The lawyers’ body Saturday revealed that the bar association was not notified about the oath-taking ceremony, which they alleged was held in a “clandestine manner”.
The body further added that it has once again questioned the credibility of the judicial system and eroded the trust of people.
On April 5, Allahabad HCBA secretary Vikrant Pandey wrote to Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court Arun Bhansali and said that “legally and traditionally, the oath administered to Justice Varma is fallacious and unacceptable”.
In his letter, Pandey also urged the chief justice to not assign any judicial or administrative work to the embattled judge.
“The entire Bar Association is at pains to learn about the clandestine manner in which Justice Yashwant Varma has been administered the oath of his office at Allahabad,” the letter said.
“In due deference to our remonstration against the repatriation of Justice Yashwant Varma to Allahabad High Court, the Hon’ble CJI had met the members of the Bar and assured that appropriate steps be taken to maintain the dignity of the judicial system,” Pandey wrote in the letter.
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More Shorts“We are given to understand that the system is taking every step in a fair and transparent manner, but why this oath is not notified to the Bar, is a question which again eroded the trust of people in the judicial system,” the letter read.
The Allahabad High Court didn’t release any statement regarding the controversial development.
After a fire broke out last month at the home of Justice Varma, authorities found four to five semi-burnt sacks filled with Indian currency notes at the scene. This discovery prompted the Chief Justice of India to order an internal investigation.
Justice Varma has claimed that neither he nor his family knew anything about the money found.
The incident has sparked fresh debate over judicial accountability, with people demanding strict action. Many say it’s necessary to set an example and restore public trust in the judiciary.