Justice Yashwant Varma administered oath, Bar Association slams 'clandestine manner'

Prayagraj: Justice Yashwant Varma, who was transferred from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court amid cash-at-home allegations, was administered the oath by the Chief Justice in his chamber here on Saturday, a move condemned by the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) as “fallacious and unacceptable”.

According to court sources, Justice Yashwant Varma was sworn in by the Chief Justice (CJ) of Allahabad High Court Arun Bhansali in his chamber at 9.30 am.

Unlike the ususal public oath-taking ceremonies that are often attended by various dignitaries, the oath was administered by the CJ in a “private setting”, they said.

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The lawyers’ body, which had opposed the repatriation of the judge, wrote to the CJ questioning why “this oath was not notified to the Bar” and alleged that the “clandestine” manner in which it was done has once again eroded the trust of people in the judicial system.

“Also, we have been given to understand that the majority of the Hon’ble Judges were also not invited/informed in the aforesaid. Thus, legally and traditionally, the oath administered to Justice Varma is fallacious/unacceptable,” the secretary of HCBA, Allahabad, Vikrant Pandey, said in the letter dated April 5 addressed to Chief Justice Bhansali.

The Bar Association also urged the Chief Justice not to assign any administrative and judicial work to the judge.

An in-house inquiry was ordered by the Chief Justice of India (CJI) after the recovery of “four to five semi-burnt sacks” of Indian currency notes from the residence of Justice Varma following a fire incident last month. Justice Varma has maintained that neither he nor his family was aware of the money.

“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 by Pandey 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,” he said.

“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,” he said.

“We unequivocally condemn the manner in which Justice Yashwant Varma was administered the oath behind our backs,” he said.

There was no official word from the high court on the swearing-in of the judge.

The incident of cash recovery has reignited debate over the issue of judicial accountability and there have been calls from various quarters for stringent action in the matter to set a precedent and restore faith in the judiciary.

Pandey said that “subscription to oath has traditionally and continuously been conducted in open court”.

“Keeping the lawyer fraternity uninformed may erode their confidence in this institution. We request our Hon’ble Chief Justice to protect the fundamental values and follow the traditions of this institution,” he said.

“We, once again condemn the aforesaid events and request the Hon’ble Chief Justice not to assign any administrative and judicial work to Justice Yashwant Varma,” Pandey said in the letter.

Pandey said that the administration of oath to a judge is a quintessential event in the judicial system.

“Lawyers being equal stakeholders in the institution, cannot be kept away. The High Court Bar Association passed a resolution saying therein that this oath is against the Constitution of India and therefore, the members of the Association do not want to be associated with an unconstitutional oath.

“What we resolved, we spoke openly and not only this, we also sent a copy of resolutions to everybody including your lordship. Thus, we failed to understand as to what is the ‘clandestine’ in this oath,” Pandey said.

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