I had a long talk on WhatsApp with Anil Tiwari, president of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association, and Vikrant Pandey, the general secretary, a short while back about Justice Yashwant Varma.
I told them that though my family has known Justice Varma's family very closely for 3 generations, I will not protect him if he is corrupt. But the question is whether he is corrupt?
I told him I had spoken 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 Tiwari and Pandey whether it is conceivable if anyone would be so crude and stupid as to keep Rs 50 crore in cash in several bags in his outhouse, where it could be easily discovered? If he had to take bribe of such a huge sum, surely he would take it abroad in Dubai, Singapore, London 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.
I told them I too had 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 retired from the Supreme Court in 2011. Opinions expressed in this article are those of the author and do not purport to reflect the opinions or views of THE WEEK.
