Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom performing chief justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma has denied all allegations levelled towards him by Supreme Courtroom choose Justice Sandeep Mehta, calling them “baseless” and saying they had been made out of “animosity”.
In his first public response to the controversy, Justice Sharma mentioned he had submitted his response, together with proof, to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and urged the media, attorneys and others to attend for the CJI’s determination.
“Current developments within the media and social media” had prompted him to challenge the clarification, Justice Sharma mentioned in a press release in Hindi.
Justice Sharma mentioned he had “denied with proof” the allegations made by Justice Mehta in his letters to the CJI, describing the accusations as “unfounded, false and factless”.
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The allegations surfaced after Justice Mehta, in three letters dated August 2, 10 and 17, urged CJI Surya Kant to nominate a chief justice from one other excessive court docket to move the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom and sought Justice Sharma’s switch out of Rajasthan.
Justice Mehta had accused the performing chief justice of maladministration, corruption, nepotism and favouritism. He additionally alleged that Justice Sharma had misused his powers as grasp of the roster by selectively transferring instances to his personal bench and had favoured “wealthy and influential” litigants.
Justice Mehta had additionally raised issues over a number of administrative selections on the excessive court docket, together with the functioning of the Jodhpur principal seat and a three-day convention in Jaipur. He alleged that the court docket’s functioning and administrative selections below Justice Sharma had raised critical questions concerning the establishment.
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What Justice Sharma mentioned
In his assertion, Justice Sharma appealed to the media, members of the Bar and others to respect the ideas of justice and train restraint till the CJI takes a call.
“I’ve full religion within the Indian judicial system,” he mentioned, including that he would seem earlier than the media himself and current his facet as soon as the CJI offers him permission to take action.
Justice Sharma additionally mentioned he would clarify his place publicly “on the proper time”, topic to the CJI’s approval.
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His response comes days after CJI Surya Kant mentioned allegations towards a sitting choose can’t be handled as findings with out due course of. The CJI had mentioned the matter was being examined by way of the suitable institutional mechanism and that Justice Sharma should be given a good alternative to reply.
“The truth that allegations have been made can not by itself be handled as a discovering towards the choose,” CJI Kant had mentioned, based on Hindustan Instances.
Controversy over Rajasthan HC management
The dispute has unfolded because the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom has remained with out a everlasting chief justice, with Justice Sharma serving as performing chief justice.
On September 1, the Supreme Courtroom collegium beneficial Chhattisgarh Excessive Courtroom choose Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal as the following chief justice of the Rajasthan Excessive Courtroom. The advice got here amid protests by attorneys in Jaipur and Jodhpur searching for the appointment of an everyday chief justice.
Justice Sharma had additionally opted out of judicial work till September 5 because the controversy intensified.
