New Delhi, April 9
The Supreme Court Collegium in reply to President A.P.J. Abdul Kalam’s query has reiterated its decision regarding the elevation of Allahabad High Court Judge Jagdish Bhalla to the post of Chief Justice but made a change in its earlier decision for sending him to Kerala. It has now proposed to post him in the Chhattisgarh High Court.
The appointment of Justice Bhalla as Kerala High Court Chief Justice had run into rough weather with the President returning his file to the government seeking certain clarifications.
The President had returned the file after the media reported that Justice Bhalla’s wife had bought a plot in Noida at a much lower price allegedly from land mafia.
The Collegium, headed by Chief Justice of India K.G. Balakrishnan, which met last week, has reiterated the earlier decision regarding the elevation of Justice Bhalla to the post of High Court Chief Justice, sources said.
The Collegium recommended transfer of Chhattisgarh Chief Justice H.L. Dattu to Kerala to facilitate the appointment of Justice Bhalla in his place.
Justice Bhalla’s name was recommended earlier by the Collegium during the tenure of former Chief Justice Y.K. Sabharwal, in which present CJI Balakrishnan was also a member.
Justice Sabharwal, at the time of relinquishing the office on January 14, had clarified that an inquiry had found nothing illegal in purchasing the plot by Justice Bhalla’s wife.
During the inquiry it was found that the so called variation in the price of the plot bought by her few years back was mainly because certain people who had bought land in the vicinity had shown inflated rates in the sale deeds for the land bought by them in anticipation of taking high compensation from the government.
