Corruption in Patna High Court an 'Open Secret', Says Justice Rakesh Kumar; Full Bench Withdraws All Cases From Him
A full bench of 11 judges in the Patna High Court on Wednesday withdrew all cases from the senior-most judge, Justice Rakesh Kumar, after he, in a scathing judgment, held that corruption in the high court was "an open secret".
Patna, August 29: A full bench of 11 judges in the Patna High Court on Wednesday withdrew all cases from the senior-most judge, Justice Rakesh Kumar, after he ordered a CBI probe into alleged corruption in Bihar's lower judiciary and, in a scathing judgment, also held that graft in the high court was "an open secret". The bench, headed by Chief Justice Amreshwar Pratap Sahi, also asked the registrar to show why the specific case was listed before Justice Rakesh Kumar. Justice Sunil Gaur, Who Rejected P Chidambaram’s Anticipatory Bail Plea in INX Media Case, Appointed Chairman of PMLA Tribunal.
It all began with Justice Rakesh Kumar's 20-page judgment in the multi-crore Mahadalit Vikas Mission scam, in which three IAS officers — KP Ramaiya, Ramashish Paswan and SM Raju — have been chargesheeted by the state vigilance department. He questioned the manner in which bail was granted to Ramaiya by a lower court. "The manner, in which, an accused is granted bail, raises the finger against the judiciary, certainly exercising supervisory power," Justice Kumar said.
Justice Kumar also expressed shock at the failure of Patna High Court to take action against judges and employees of the Patna lower court allegedly shown taking bribes in a sting operation conducted by a TV channel. He then directed the CBI director to conduct an investigation into the entire sting operation. "While conducting inquiry or investigation, the CBI will be at liberty to examine everything, including patronage, if any," the judge added.
Justice Kumar then turned his focus to his colleagues in the high court stating in the verdict that corruption in the high court was "an open secret". While making sharp remarks, he also ordered that a copy of his judgement be sent to the Chief Justice of India, the Prime Minister's Office and the Union Law Ministry. Moments later, Chief Justice Sahi conveyed a full bench and issued a notice debarring Justice Kumar.
"All the matters pending before Hon’ble Justice Rakesh Kumar, sitting singly including tied-up/part-heard or otherwise stands withdrawn from immediate effect," the notice said. The bench observed that Justice Kumar had “lowered the prestige of the court” and that it was “not expected” from a person holding the post of a judge of the high court.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 29, 2019 05:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).