Justice AK Sikri Withdraws From Hearing Plea Challenging Appointment of M Nageshwar Rao as CBI Chief
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was supposed to hear the case, but he excused himself from it as the CJI has to attend the high-power selection committee which will be selecting the new CBI chief today, on Thursday.
New Delhi, January 24: Justice AK Sikri, after withdrawing consent from the post of president/member in London-based Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT), has also withdrawn from hearing a plea challenging the appointment of M Nageshwar Rao as the interim CBI chief. M Nageshwar Rao Appointed as CBI Interim Director, Top Bosses Alok Verma & Rakesh Asthana Sent on Leave, Delhi HQ Sealed.
Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi was supposed to hear the case, but he excused himself from it as the CJI has to attend the high-power selection committee which will be selecting the new CBI chief today, on Thursday. CBI Interim Director M Nageshwar Rao Reverses Transfer Orders Issued by Former CBI Chief Alok Verma.
According to a report in The Indian Express, Justice Sikri told senior advocate Dushyant Dave said that “Since I’m rescuing, I cant hear…please understand my position." Dushyant Dave is representing the petitioner.
Justice Sikri was part of the the high-powered committee meeting which took place on January 10. The PM led panel had removed CBI chief Alok Verma. The committee then appointed Nageswar Rao as the interim director.
Justice Sikri is the second senior-most judge of the Supreme Court. Earlier, “pained” over media reports that his nomination to the Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT) was because of the decision to transfer Verma, indicating his closeness to the government, Justice Sikri turned down the prestigious post.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jan 24, 2019 02:08 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).