M A I N   N E W S

Transferred CJ continues to function
Maneesh Chhibber
Our High Court Correspondent

Chandigarh, February 16
Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy, who has been transferred to the Guwahati High Court and who left Chandigarh to take charge, continues to function as Chief Justice of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The Chief Justice left for Patna, his home town, on February 15 morning enroute to Guwahati where he has to take charge by February 21.

Yesterday, from his camp office in Punjab Bhawan, New Delhi, Chief Justice Roy granted the leave sought by Joint Registrar (C&E) Dr Neelima Shangla.

He also cleared the request of Ms Sunita, Senior-Scale Stenographer, for repatriation to her parent department - Government Medical College and Hospital, Sector 32.

The Law Ministry today enquired from the High Court if Chief Justice Roy had given charge to the senior-most Judge after him.

High Court Registrar General M.S. Sullar is also travelling with the Chief Justice and will remain with him till he assumes office at Guwahati.

The Chief Justice is also learnt to have told the High Court officials to place matters such as allocation of work according to the roster before him at Patna and thereafter at Guwahati till he takes over.

Requests that were yesterday being faxed to New Delhi for the Chief Justice's indulgence are now being faxed to the Registrar General of Patna High Court so that the same can be put up before him at his residence at Patna.

Today, High Court Registrar (Judicial) M.M. Singh Bedi faxed two pages of case details to the Patna High Court Registrar General for putting them before Chief Justice Roy for orders.

The issues on which orders were sought, nine in number, related to listing of cases before appropriate Benches.

The other issues on which the Chief Justice was requested to give orders include the nomination of judicial officers of the rank of District and Sessions Judges to attend the refresher course on 'Court-Media Relation in Administration of Justice'.

The three-day course is being organised by National Judicial Academy, Bhopal from February 25-27. Yesterday, a note in this regard was sent to Delhi for the Chief Justice's orders.

Another matter faxed to Chief Justice yesterday for appropriate orders related to nomination of Mr Justice N.K. Sud to attend the forthcoming course on Judicial Colloquium on Science, Law, Ethics and Administration of Justice from February 18-20.

Sajjan Kumar case referred to Delhi CJ

New Delhi, February 16
A Bench of the Delhi High Court has referred the CBI appeal against the acquittal of Congress MP Sajjan Kumar in 1984 anti-Sikh riot case to the Chief Justice, Mr B.C. Patel, after one of the judges expressed his reservation in hearing the case.

A Bench comprising Mr Justice M.K. Sharma and Mr Justice R.S. Sodhi referred the matter to the Chief Justice as one of the judges expressed his reservation in hearing the case. The judge had some reservation on the name of Additional Solicitor General K.P. Pathak on the record.

An advocate appearing in the case said even Mr Pathak himself was not inclined to appear before this Bench.

Sources said another Additional Solicitor General had refused to take this case and the CBI was likely to engage a senior advocate as a Special Prosecutor in the case.

Earlier in October last, a Bench of Mr Justice T.S. Thakur, Mr Justice J.P. Singh had also referred the matter to the Chief Justice.

The CBI and the SGPC have challenged the acquittal of Sajjan Kumar and others in the riots cases by the trial court in December 2002. — PTI