New Delhi: Days after the chief justice of India, Ranjan Gogoi recused himself from hearing a plea on M. Nageswara Rao, Supreme Court Justice A.K. Sikri did the same on Thursday.
The petition challenges the Centre’s decision to appoint Nageswara Rao as interim CBI director. The matter is now listed for hearing tomorrow before a different bench.
After CJI Gogoi recused himself on Monday saying he was doing so because he was a part of the selection committee meeting to choose the new CBI director, the matter was assigned to the bench headed by Justice Sikri.
According to a LiveLaw report, the committee is scheduled to meet on Thursday.
However, as soon as the matter came up for hearing today, Justice Sikri told senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for petitioner NGO Common Cause, that he would not like to hear the matter and was recusing himself.
M. Nageswara Rao. Credit: PTI/Files
Notably, Justice Sikri was part of the high-powered panel which took the decision to remove Alok Verma as CBI chief just days after he was directed to be reinstated by the apex court.
Also read: Will the Supreme Court Lift the Veil of Secrecy Around CBI Director’s Appointment?
Following the meeting of the committee, also comprising Narendra Modi and leader of opposition Mallikarjun Kharge, the appointments committee of the cabinet gave interim charge of the CBI to Nageshwar Rao.
The plea in the case claims the January 10 order through which Rao was made interim director is in violation of the Delhi Special Police Establishment Act.
The Wire earlier reported that the petitioners charged that “the government of India has attempted to stifle the independence of the institution of the CBI by appointing the director of the CBI in an arbitrary and illegal manner.”
Further, they submitted, “the lack of transparency in the process of appointment prevents any meaningful public scrutiny and allows the government to exercise undue influence in the process, especially at the stage of short-listing of candidates, thereby undermining the institution of the CBI.”
The petition also accused the Centre of repeatedly undermining the process of appointment of functionaries of various independent bodies like the Central Vigilance Commission and Information Commissions.