‘Won’t be browbeaten’: SC dismisses demand for CJI’s recusal

May 2, 2019
New Delhi:  The Supreme Court on Thursday said that it would not allow any body to “browbeat” it as it rejected a plea for recusal of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi from hearing a matter on the detention centre housing illegal immigrants in Assam.

It also removed the former bureaucrat Harsh Mander, who had moved the plea, as the petitioner in the case.

“We will not remotely think of recusal as it is destructive of the institution. We will not allow anybody to browbeat the institution (the top court),” said the bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi, Justice Deepak Gupta and Justice Sanjiv Khanna as Mander alleged bias by the CJI.

Dismissing the plea, the court said it has the potential of causing damage to the institution.

“You take news from social media and throw at the CJI asking him to recuse himself. What will happen if institutions collapse, where will we be?” CJI Gogoi said as Mander said that he got the news of the court’s observations from news portals.

“The day you don’t trust your judges, you do great damage to the institutions,” the CJI told Mander, adding that “We make mistakes and of course we do and correct then later.”

In an apparent suggestion that petitioners can’t act on the contents of social media, he asked Mander: “What if I say that you have been set up by the Assam government to save the Chief Secretary from disciplinary action.”

“I would say that it is simply say not true,” Mander said.

The court directed its registry to strike off Mander’s name as the petitioner and substitute it with the Supreme Court Legal Aid Committee. It also appointed counsel Prashant Bhushan as amicus curiae in the matter confined to the detention centres where illegal immigrants are lodged.

The court said that it was appointing Bhushan as amicus as he was appearing for Mander in the matter.

Describing “scandalous” the plea for the recusal of CJI Gogoi from hearing the matter, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta said that it was contemptuous as Mander is alleging that the court is using his petition for other purposes.

He also termed the petition – “well drafted with judgments quoted” as “nothing but forum hunting”.

Questioning Mander for “lecturing judges as to what they should do”, he said: “You can’t get up as public spirited person and spit venom on anyone.”

Also defending the Assam Chief Secretary, Mehta told the court that he was not behind the plea for the recusal of the CJI.

“The Chief Secretary did not know of the application (seeking the recusal of the CJI) till it was filed and asked me to oppose it,” Mehta told the court.

IANS

Shia leaders demand death for Hafiz Saeed, seek justice for 26/11 victims

Lucknow: The All India Shia Husaini Fund members have demanded justice for the 26/11 Mumbai attack victims by hanging its mastermind, Hafiz Saeed. Shia religious leaders and intellectuals from different...

Hundreds of jail police personnel go on mass CL in Gujarat

Ahmedabad: Hundreds of police personnel serving at various jails in Gujarat on Wednesday went on a mass casual leave demanding a pay hike at par with other police personnel and State...

Centre bans PFI, all its affiliates for 5 years. Here are key reasons

After two rounds of nationwide raids and arrests of over 240 members, the Centre on Wednesday banned the contentious Popular Front of India (PFI) and all its affiliates, excluding the...

Home Ministry all set to ban PFI after studying possible legal challenges

New Delhi: Days after the NIA and the ED raided several locations linked to the Popular Front of India (PFI) across the country, the Union Home Ministry is planning to...

ISI & Khalistani connections of Goldy Brar, Bishnoi

New Delhi, Sep 12 (IANS) The NIA sources have said that Goldy Brar and Lawrence Bishnoi gangs have contacts with Canada-based Khalistani elements and Pakistan-based ISI agents, and these gangs were...

IT sleuths seized our phones, cloned data, claim Oxfam, IPSMF

Days after the Income Tax Department carried out “surveys action” at their premises, Oxfam India and the Independent and Public-Spirited Media Foundation (IPSMF) alleged that the I-T personnel confiscated phones...

IS claims 1st Indian suicide bomber was Keralite Christian converted to Islam; agencies begin probe

Thiruvananthapuram: The Central intelligence agencies have commenced a probe after an article in the IS mouthpiece 'Voice of Koharasan' mentioned that 'the first Indian suicide bomber for them was a Keralite...

Hijab row not a controversy, but conspiracy against India: BJP

New Delhi: Referring to a plea in the Karnataka High Court to defer hearing on the 'hijab' row till the Assembly polls were over, the BJP has raised questions over the...

Congress to support BJP-backed Meghalaya govt

Shillong: In a significant political development, all five Congress MLAs in Meghalaya on Tuesday told Chief Minister Conrad Sangma that they wish to join the National People's Party (NPP)-led Meghalaya Democratic...

From reality to fiction, a tale of two opposites

New Delhi: Perhaps one becomes a different person after retirement? Released from the pressures and restrictions of a professional career you can give free rein to talents that remained dormant...

Ruins of ancient Sun temple in UP gets govt’s attention

Pratapgarh (Uttar Pradesh) Plans are afoot to revive a 8th century Sun temple, located in a Uttar Pradesh village in Pratapgarh district. A joint team of the state tourism department...

BHU scientist warns against ‘unscientific’ tree plantation

Varanasi: Even as Uttar Pradesh undertakes a massive tree plantation drive, a retired scientist and river engineer from the Banaras Hindu university (BHU) has warned against "unscientific plantation of trees...

Read Previous

PM’s remark on TMC MLAs sign of desperation: O’Brien

Read Next

Azhar resolution: MEA plays down omission of Pulwama

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

WP2Social Auto Publish Powered By : XYZScripts.com