The Loya case being assigned to a particular bench by the CJI was one of the issues raised by the four protesting judges at their press conference Friday.
New Delhi: The extraordinary judicial crisis that hit the Supreme Court last week remained unresolved Monday and could, in fact, flare up again Tuesday when the controversial case seeking a probe into the death of Maharashtra judge Brijgopal Loya is likely to be heard in court.
Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra’s decision to “selectively” assign this case to a particular bench – comprising of justices Arun Mishra and Mohan M. Shantanagoudar – was among the issues raised by the four senior Supreme Court judges in their unprecedented press conference Friday.
And since the composition of the bench hearing this case is unlikely to be changed, a fresh row is not being ruled out.
What happened Monday
ThePrint has learnt that although all 25 Supreme Court judges met for tea Monday morning, none of the contentious issues were even discussed, let alone settled. The judges were unusually late to court by about 10 minutes, but the four protesting judges – Jasti Chelameswar, Ranjan Gogoi, Madan B. Lokur and Kurian Joseph – did resume work as they had promised at their press conference.
Attorney General K.K. Venugopal and Bar Council of India chairman Manan Mishra repeatedly told the media that the judges had reached a consensus with the CJI, but neither offered any details. A delegation from the Supreme Court Bar Association and the Bar Council of India met the CJI and several other judges.
Justice Chelameswar’s office, meanwhile, said no invitation for a meeting of any sort had been extended by the CJI.
PIL seeking action against press conference
Meanwhile, advocate R.P. Luthra moved the apex court in a public interest litigation case related to the crisis. He sought an early date of hearing before the CJI, citing the importance of the issue, but did not give details of the plea.
Although Luthra’s plea is not directly against the four judges who held the press conference, he has referred to them in his arguments.
“Destroy any anti-national force for trying to tarnish the image of the judiciary,” he argued.
The CJI and two other judges on the bench – A.M. Khanwilkar and D.Y. Chandrachud – did not respond to his plea. But the court also did not refuse to entertain the plea.
Ek ne kahi, doosre ne maani, Nanak kahe dono hain gyaani. That would be a graceful outcome for this issue. If the valid concerns raised by the four senior judges are disregarded, there would be the makings of a genuine crisis.