New Delhi, August 4
The Supreme Court today took serious note of the CBI’s allegation against Ghaziabad District Judge Vishnu Chandra Gupta that he was interfering in the investigations into the PF scam and sought explanation from him.

“If the allegation is true, it amounts to direct interference in the functioning of this court,” a three-member Bench headed by Justice DK Jain remarked.

The Bench, which included Justices VS Sirpurkar and GS Singhvi, then passed an order asking the District Judge to “respond” to the allegation. Counsel for the District Judge immediately sought to file the response strongly denying the allegation, but the Bench asked him to submit it through Attorney General GE Vahanvati.

The CBI has filed an affidavit alleging that the District Judge sought to involve the Uttar Pradesh Police in the PF scam probe again despite the fact that the apex court had transferred the investigation to the central agency with the consent of the state government.

Today, the apex court also issued notice to 70 accused, including six former District Judges of Ghaziabad, seeking their response to the CBI plea for the transfer of the trial from the CBI court of the district to Delhi. According to the CBI, a fair and free trial was not possible in Ghaziabad because of the involvement of judicial officials of the area.

Three of the former District Judges have since been elevated as Judges of the Allahabad High Court.

On July 28, the Bench had stayed the trial in the PF scam following the CBI allegation. It had also sought the names and addresses of all accused for seeking their response to the proposal of shifting the trial to Delhi.