Prayagraj, Mar 24 (UNI) The members of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA) will observe indefinite strike from Tuesday to protest against the repatriation of Delhi High Court judge Justice Yashwant Verma, an office-bearer of the HCBA said.
The decision was made in the emergency meeting of the HCBA on Monday. In the general house meeting a proposal was passed demanding an impeachment motion against Justice Verma in alleged recovery of money from his house, along with a demand for filing a case FIR and conducting an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) in the matter.
The general meeting was called under the chairmanship of Allahabad HCBA President Anil Tiwari. "11 resolutions were passed in the meeting. The association said that corruption will not be tolerated in the judiciary," sources said.
Advocates abstained from judicial work in the afternoon. The bar association has strongly opposed the proposal to repatriate Justice Verma back to Allahabad Bench allegedly after a huge amount of money was recovered from his residence.
HCBA President Anil Tiwari said, "Yashwant Verma is not fit to continue as a judge. The Bar Association opposes his transfer anywhere. The decisions given by Justice Verma in Allahabad High Court or Delhi High Court should be reconsidered."
In the meeting, he said that it was also demanded that Justice Verma should not be transferred to any other High Court till the completion of the investigation, along with ending nepotism in appointments and judges belonging to the family and relatives of the judge should be transferred to other High Courts.
The President said that the association expressed surprise at the decision of the SC Collegium to repatriate Justice Verma to his parent High Court. "This decision of the SC Collegium raises a serious question whether the Allahabad High Court is a dustbin," the association said.
The advocates said that such judges have no right to remain in the temple of justice. "This will affect the transparency of justice," they said.
It may be noted that a fire broke out in the house of Justice Verma on the night of March 14. A purported video of recovery of a large amount of cash from the Justice's house has gone viral on social media.
Justice Verma was appointed as a judge in the Allahabad High Court itself. In October 2021, he was transferred to the Delhi High Court. Before becoming a judge, he was also the Chief Standing Council of the state government in the Allahabad High Court.
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