M A I N   N E W S

Chief Justice B.K. Roy at it again!
Tribune News Service

Guwahati, July 29
Less than six months after he was transferred to the Guwahati High Court from Chandigarh, Chief Justice Mr Justice B.K. Roy has again run into serious controversy.

Aggrieved by his attitude, 15 of the 17 judges of the Guwahati High Court are believed to have written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) requesting him to either rein in Mr Justice Roy or transfer all of them from Guwahati.

In their letter, the judges are believed to have accused Chief Justice Roy of misbehaving with them and making them a victim of his whimsical attitude affecting the work and culture of the court.

“At the drop of a hat, Chief Justice Roy threatens to transfer officials of the court. At times he is found wasting the time of others by chatting with them on mythological stories or issues concerning his family”, said a Guwahati High Court Judge on condition of anonymity.

The complaining judges are also learnt to have met a senior Supreme Court Judge, Mr Justice H.K. Sema, at Guwahati on July 1 to explain to him the problems they face with Chief Justice Roy. Mr Justice Sema is believed to have assured them that he would convey their sentiments to the CJI.

A judge told The Tribune that within a short period, Chief Justice Roy transferred three senior judges of the Guwahati High Court to other Northeastern states, and then, in a surprising move, asked two of them not to join duty. “It is ridiculous. He inquires about the income of other judges and lawyers and pokes his nose into their private matters,” the judge added.

It is not judges alone who are miffed at the attitude of Chief Justice Roy. Even the lawyers practising at Guwahati find it difficult to carry on with him.

Over hundred lawyers met under the chairmanship of Guwahati Bar Council President Gautam Bhattacharya yesterday to formally lodge their protest against non-publication of cause lists and the lack of efficient administration in the court.

Mr Gautam Bhattacharya alleged that cause lists were not being brought out in time, leading to problems for lawyers. He also said that lawyers were finding it difficult to cope with the “whimsical behaviour” of the Chief Justice.

The Bar Council has already sent a letter to the CJI for his intervention. “We want B.K. Roy to be replaced in order to restore normalcy in court activities,” said a senior lawyer on condition of anonymity.

When asked about the latest problem between him and his brother-judges, Chief Justice Roy refused to accept that anything was wrong.

“Everything is normal. Everyone is cooperating with me,” he told The Tribune, adding that he had always believed in strict discipline and never did anything violating the parameters of the law.

Maneesh Chhibber adds from Chandigarh: This is not the first time that Judges and lawyers have come out against Chief Justice Roy.

On April 18 last year, 25 judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had proceeded on mass leave in protest against his behaviour.

It was the first time that judges of a High Court had gone on mass leave. Strained relations between Chief justice Roy and most other judges had marked the functioning of the High Court during a major part of his tenure in Chandigarh.

As many as 21 judges of the Punjab and Haryana High Court had told the Chief Justice of India that they were finding it difficult to work with Chief Justice Roy.

The CJI had then sent two judges — present CJI Mr Justice R.C. Lahoti and Mr Justice Ashok Bhan — to listen to the grievances of the dissenting judges. They had also met Chief Justice Roy before reporting the matter to the CJI and the Supreme Court collegium.

Chief Justice Roy was finally shifted by the President of India on the recommendation of the Supreme Court collegium to the Guwahati High Court on February 4.