Ex Minister For Impeaching HC Judge Over Shady Land Affair

New Delhi, Jan 2 (UNI) Former Law Minister and Senior Advocate Shanti Bhushan has petitioned Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to initiate impeachment proceedings against a senior Lucknow High Court Judge over an alleged shady land transaction.

Shanti Bhushan claimed to have learned that Justice Jagdish Bhalla is now recommended for the post of Chief Justice of Kerala High Court.

''This, if true, is doubly shocking,'' Bhushan wrote to Prime Minister Singh, especially as ''every investigation-- even a regular police investigation-- is blocked into what appears to be a serious offence under the Prevention of Corruption Act.'' The former Law Minister charged that 7,200 square metres of land in New Okhla Industrial Development Area, valued around Rs seven crores, was turned over to a buyer related to the Judge for a mere Rs five lakhs.

The complaint was also presented by Bhushan to Vice President Bhairon Singh Shekhawat who has since forwarded it to the Chief Justice of India ''for taking appropriate action.'' Bhushan said his effort to have a police investigation done ran up against a 1991 Supreme Court judgement that even a First Information Report against a Judge needs ''prior permission of the CJI.'' ''We formally applied on 1/11/06 to the Chief Justice of India for permission to register an FIR against Justice Bhalla in this matter.

''However, till today, we have neither received permission to lodge the FIR nor have we heard from the CJI on this matter.'' UNI