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Synopsis

After days of protest against the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma from the Delhi High Court to the Allahabad High Court, the High Court Bar Association (HCBA) has decided to suspend its strike temporarily. The decision was taken after an executive committee meeting on Saturday, with the lawyers stating that they would await the outcome of an internal inquiry against the judge before deciding on further action. However, they have firmly resolved not to attend Justice Varma's oath-taking ceremony.

The strike, which began on March 25, saw widespread participation from the legal fraternity, with lawyers boycotting judicial work in protest against the Supreme Court collegium’s decision to transfer Justice Varma. The Bar Association had passed multiple resolutions opposing the transfer, citing concerns over judicial integrity and systemic issues within the transfer process.

Notably, the Supreme Court of India issued a press release on March 28, directing the Chief Justice of the Allahabad High Court to refrain from assigning any judicial work to Justice Varma for the time being.

The Supreme Court’s direction came amid the Bar Association’s strong stance against Justice Varma’s transfer, alleging concerns over transparency and judicial conduct. The HCBA had previously urged senior advocates, former bar presidents, and executive members to provide their inputs for the next course of action.

The Bar Association’s general body has unanimously passed multiple resolutions, including:

• A continued call for Justice Varma’s transfer to be revoked.

• A demand to prevent judges’ close relatives from practicing in the same high court.

• Immediate reforms in the listing of cases to ensure older matters are prioritized.

• A request to government law officers, including the Advocate General and Additional Advocate General, to extend their full support to the movement.

On March 26, the HCBA had taken strict action against lawyers who defied the strike call, suspending memberships of those who appeared in court despite the protest. Show-cause notices were issued to such advocates, warning of further action, including requesting the high court to revoke their advocate enrollment if they continued to disregard the association’s decisions.

While the strike has been put on hold for now, the Bar Association has made it clear that their movement is far from over. The decision to resume protests or take further action will depend on the findings of the ongoing inquiry against Justice Varma.