The Allegations Against Justice Yashwant Verma: A Family Friend’s Perspective
Why Would a Judge Keep ₹50 Crore in an Outhouse? Justice Katju’s Logical Doubts
- Delhi Lawyers Praise Justice Verma: ‘Courteous, Patient, and Incorruptible
- Media Trial vs Due Process: How the Bar Association ‘Declared Guilt’ Without Evidence
- Justice Katju’s Upcoming Address to the Bar: A Plea for Responsible Judgment
Justice
Markandey Katju questions Allahabad HC Bar’s haste in condemning Justice
Yashwant Verma. Read his WhatsApp talk with Bar leaders on evidence, media
trials, and judicial reputation.
My talk with the President and Secretary of Allahabad High Court Bar Association
By Justice Markandey
Katju
I had a long
talk on WhatsApp with Mr Anil Tiwari, President of the Allahabad High Court Bar
Association and Mr Vikrant Pandey, the Gen Secy, a short while back about
Justice Yashwant Verma.
I told them
that though my family has known Justice Verma's family very closely for 3
generations, yet I will not protect him if he is corrupt. But the question is
whether he is corrupt?
I told him I
spoke to several lawyers of Delhi, who all spoke highly of him. As a Judge he
was patient, courteous, and learned in the law, and there was never any
complaint against his integrity.
I also asked
Mr Tiwari and Mr Pandey whether it is conceivable whether anyone would be so
crude and stupid as to keep Rs 50 crores in cash in several bags in his
outhouse, where it could be easily discovered? If he had to take a bribe of such
a huge sum, surely he would take it abroad in Dubai, Singapore, London etc in a
secret haven or in the form of a flat etc in a foreign country which could not
be discovered.
I also told
them that I too have lived in a Judge's bungalow, and there are outhouses in
the premises where servants live, and so it would be extremely dangerous to
keep bags of cash there. Also, there are police guards at the gate.
I told them
that I had written many articles and given video interviews in this connection,
some of which are given below :
MarkandayKatju says its very difficult to extricate judiciary out of govt control |Neelu Vyas
J’Accuse:Justice Katju Defends Justice Yashwant Verma, Calls Out Media Trial
I told them I too have been a member of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, and I am very sad that in such a haste the Bar Association has declared Justice Varma guilty of corruption ( by saying that the High Court is not a 'koodadaan', implying Justice Varma was 'kooda') without considering the above aspects. This is behaving like the Queen of Hearts in Alice in Wonderland, who would say " Off with his head" whenever anyone was brought before her, without even giving him a hearing.
A man's
reputation is for him a valuable asset, so one has to be careful before
tarnishing it, and should enquire carefully into the allegation with a cool
head before coming to a definite conclusion, and give him a hearing.
Justice
Varma's reputation has been trampled into the dust irreparably by the worthless
Indian media which only seeks 'mirch masaala' or sensations to increase
circulation or TRP. But surely lawyers should have behaved in a more
responsible and circumspect manner.
I told them
that I would like to address the Bar Association members online in their next
meeting, to which they agreed.
(Justice
Markandey Katju is a former Judge, of the Supreme Court of India, and former
Chairman, of the Press Council of India. The views expressed are his own)
