Supreme Court judge Justice UU Lalit on Monday recused himself from hearing petitions seeking to initiate proceedings of criminal contempt against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy for making allegations about a sitting judge of the top court, Bar and Bench reported.
In an open letter addressed to Chief Justice SA Bobde on October 6, Reddy had alleged that the Supreme Court’s second most-senior judge NV Ramana had been influencing the sittings of the Andhra Pradesh High Court, including the roster of a few judges. Reddy also cited instances of how cases important to the Opposition Telugu Desam Party were “allocated to a few judges”.
Three separate petitions were filed against Reddy for his “scandalising statements”. But when the matter was brought up on Monday, Justice Lalit refused to hear the case. “I have difficulty, I can’t hear this matter,” he said. “As a lawyer, I have represented parties in this matter in litigations. Let this matter be listed at the earliest before any other judge decided by the Chief Justice of India.”
The petitioners, who are advocates GS Mani, Pradeep Kumar Yadav and Sunil Kumar Singh and non-governmental organisation Anti-Corruption Council of India Trust, have submitted that the allegations levelled by Reddy against Justice Ramana are baseless.
They have also highlighted that Reddy is facing over 20 criminal cases himself, and the allegations made by him were an attempt to “tarnish the reputation of the Court for personal gain and motive”, according to Live Law.
Besides, the petitioners have sought a judicial inquiry by an internal committee headed by sitting or retired judges of the Supreme Court, or any authority including the Central Bureau of Investigation, into the allegations raised by the Andhra Pradesh chief minister.
Advocate Singh, in his petition, asked the top court to issue a show cause notice to Reddy, as the chief minister had “crossed the limit” prescribed by the Constitution of India.
Notably, Supreme Court lawyer and Bharatiya Janata Party leader Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay had also written to Attorney General KK Venugopal to initiate proceedings for criminal contempt against Reddy for making statements against Justice Ramana and making them public. However, Venugopal had declined his consent on the matter.
Reddy vs Ramana
Reddy’s letter was released after a bench headed by Ramana ordered proceedings against the chief minister in a disproportionate assets case. The bench was hearing a petition seeking fast-tracking of pending criminal cases against sitting and former lawmakers. On October 10, the very next day after the order was passed, the letter, dated October 6, was made public by Reddy’s principal advisor.
Soon after, the Andhra Pradesh High Court ordered an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into allegedly defamatory social media posts on judgements of the court by members of Reddy’s party. The order, however, did not mention the letter.
Protests were launched by Bar Associations and former judges against Reddy for levelling such allegations against the top court judge in an “irresponsible manner”. The Supreme Court Bar Association also passed a resolution on October 16 condemning the letter. However, the body’s President Dushyant Dave has expressed his dissent against the resolution.
On October 17, Justice NV Ramana had said that judges should be “fearless in their decisions to withstand all pressures and odds” after the controversy. Ramana, next in line to become the chief justice of India, added that the greatest strength of the judiciary was the faith of the people in it.
Also read:
With Jagan Reddy’s allegations against Supreme Court judge, silence is not the right strategy
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