New Delhi, December 22
The Supreme Court has recommended the transfer of four High Court judges to enable the CBI conduct a free and fair investigation into the Uttar Pradesh provident fund scam in which the names of 34 judges, including one from the apex court, and judicial officers had cropped up.
The apex court collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India KG Balakrishnan, has sought the transfer of three Allahabad High Court judges — Justices Sushil Harkoli, Tarun Aggrawal and R Mishra — and Justice JS Rawat from Uttarakhand HC, court sources said.
The move comes close on the heels of the CJI's tough stance against corruption in the judiciary. Earlier, he had recommended impeachment proceedings against tainted Calcutta HC judge Soumitra Sen and permitted the CBI to question Punjab and Haryana HC judges Nirmaljit Kaur and Nirmal Yadav in the cash at doorstep scam. He had also suggested premature retirement of officers in the lower judiciary.
A Bench headed by Justice Arijit Pasayat had on September 23 handed over the investigation into the scam to the CBI after Ghaziabad SP had expressed difficulty in carrying out the probe involving judicial officers.
After the CBI probe was ordered, the collegium, comprising five senior-most judges of the apex court, had refused to confirm additional judge AK Singh as a permanent judge of the Allahabad HC.
The apex court asked the CBI to file the status report in three months, but did not pass any specific order relating to the probe against the sitting judges.
The 34 members of the judiciary whose names had cropped up in the scam included seven Allahabad HC judges, six retired HC judges and 12 judges from subordinate judiciary in Uttar Pradesh.
