Senior Advocate Anil Tiwari, HCBA President, warns of judicial collapse in an exclusive LawChakra interview on the judge corruption scandal.
NEW DELHI: In an explosive interview with LawChakra, Senior Advocate Anil Tiwari, President of the High Court Bar Association (HCBA), weighs in on the shocking case of a judge caught with crores in unexplained wealth. As concerns over judicial integrity intensify, Tiwari delivers a stark warning: “If the judiciary gets weak, the mafia will be giving judgments.”
Join us as we delve into the implications of this scandal, the urgent need for judicial accountability, and the broader impact on India’s legal system.
Snr. Adv.Anil Tiwari, a senior lawyer, currently serves as the President of the Allahabad High Court Bar Association (HCBA). In this capacity, he has been actively engaged in addressing issues affecting the judiciary and the legal fraternity.
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Recently, Tiwari has strongly opposed the transfer of Justice Yashwant Varma to the Allahabad High Court amid allegations of corruption. He described March 28, 2025, as
“a dark day in India’s judicial history due to Justice Varma’s oath-taking at the Allahabad bench”
When asked about the controversy , Adv Anil Tiwari said
“Public trust is the biggest thing and there is a need for public trust in the judiciary as we the People of India have conferred this power on the Judiciary and if faith is shattered then it is not good.”
He also raised concerns about the integrity of appointing a judge under suspicion and said
“one judge is under controversy the whole system is in controversy”
The convenor Utsav Mishra, asked him on his views as to ” whether FIR to be allowed following the procedure”
To which Snr Advocate Mr Tiwari mentioned ,
“The judges do need protection but only during judicial work , and this work was done outside the judicial territory and therefore the in-house procedure should not be followed “
He even questioned that ,
“The occurence was of the night of 14th March and the information was given after 17 hours to the CJI by the Police authorities and if it was a little conscious, then immediately a conference would have taken place and , instead no FIR was followed, no procedure was followed, and there is alot of suspicion in the procedure and incident”
He even questioned the constitution-makers and said that
“Were the constitution-makers not well versed with the situations? The public is demanding the removal of the shield along these constitutional heads ruling the country”
He explicitly mentioned that ,
“ If this prevails , Mafia will be giving judgements and Law channels will be reporting their judgements”
He was questioned as to the,
Strike in the Allahabad Bar Association to which he mentioned that ,
” It was for the common lawyers and the common litigants , and the strike could not send back the transfer of Justice Yashwant Verma so we changed our Modus Operandi and decided to conduct a conference on the Topic “Judicial Accountability and Transparency in the Judicial System” “
He further mentioned that ,
“Judges only after their retirement bring about the realities of the justice system and I am trying to bring about the lacunae before the public”
He was also asked about the Meeting with the CJI Justice Sanjiv Khanna , to which he said
“the Meeting was very amicable and all our concerns were heard.”
He was asked, “ If the Role of CJI was opaque and the judicial accountability is fading and can the changes be brought about?”
To this he mentioned ,
“The work is of the Opinion of the Collegium and not the CJI and the Judicial accountability has since always been in the question as not the public is questioning the system”
He was also asked upon “the Uncle-syndrome and his views on it”
He said,
“the term was given by the Supreme court itself and the familiar judges appointed in a court because they will give judgements in the favour”
He very sternly mentioned that ,
“We need to take a step against the corruption and the accountability , as someone has to move ahead, if Gandhi ji was silent we would have been raising the horses of Bristishers , still”
“The system is affecting, the gossips are affecting the honest and the hardworking judges , because 99% judges are still loyal”
He was also asked , “the controversial judgement of the Allahbad High court and asked whether it was raising concerns as to patriarchal society”
To this he said ,
“I dont want to comment of in before I read the judgement but Giving the wrong judgement is a talent in this system and the Collegium system needs to take account of it”
Snr Adv Anil Tiwari was asked on the way forward to which he said
” The system , the tools and the procedures are not being taken seriously and not followed properly and overall he said that , I will keep fighting against it and I urge everyone to stand by , to make the system better”
In conclusion, Senior Advocate Anil Tiwari’s statements highlight the growing concerns over judicial accountability and transparency in India. His remarks highlight the urgent need for systemic reforms to restore public trust in the judiciary.
He warns that if corruption and procedural lapses persist, the integrity of the legal system will be at serious risk. While acknowledging that most judges remain honest and dedicated, he stresses the importance of addressing corruption at all levels to prevent the erosion of judicial credibility.
Snr Adv Tiwari’s commitment to fighting for judicial integrity serves as a call to action for the legal community and the public to stand together in ensuring a fair and accountable judicial system.
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