SC to take up proceeding over Lokpal's order asserting its power to investigate corruption complaints against HC judges tomorrow

The Supreme Court will on Tuesday take up a suo motu proceeding against the Lokpal’s order asserting its power to investigate complaints of corruption against sitting high court judges.

The matter is listed before a three-judge Bench of Justice BR Gavai, Justice Surya Kant and Justice Abhay S Oka — which had on February 20 stayed the Lokpal’s January 27 order.

Describing the Lokpal’s order as “disturbing”, the Bench had also issued a notice to the Centre, the Lokpal Office and the complainant.

Three weeks after the Lokpal held that it has power to investigate complaints of corruption against sitting high court judges, the Supreme Court on February 19 took suo motu cognisance of the contentious issue.

“We make it amply clear that by this order we have decided a singular issue finally — as to whether the judges of the high court established by an Act of Parliament come within the ambit of Section 14 of the Act of 2013, in the affirmative. No more and no less. In that, we have not looked into or examined the merits of the allegations at all,” a Lokpal Bench led by Justice AM Khanwilkar had said in its January 27 order.

However, without expressing any opinion on the merits of the case, the Lokpal had forwarded the complaint against the high court judge to the Chief Justice of India for his guidance.