Activists oppose Bhalla's appointment as Kerala CJ

Kozhikode, Jan 15 (UNI) Leading social activists in Kerala today urged President A P J Abdul Kalam to withhold the appointment of Justice Jagadish Bhalla, facing corruption charges, as Kerala High Court Chief Justice.

''An impugned judge presiding over the High Court is an unacceptable situation,'' and as such he has no right to head the judiciary in the state until he got his name cleared in the charge of amassing several properties illegally in the name of his relatives, noted activist and writer Sukumar Azhikode and columnist B R P Bhaskar told reporters here.

They said the Committee on Judicial Accountability (COJA), an NGO, had already raised the corruption charge against Justice Bhalla, presently, a judge of the Allahabad High Court.

Quoting the COJA complaint, they alleged Justice Bhalla's wife Renu Bhalla purchased a 7,200 sq m plot costing Rs 7.2 crore from an alleged land mafia by paying just Rs 5 lakh at Noida, near Delhi.

They said the COJA had sought an appointment with the Chief Justice of India to discuss the issue several months ago but the permission had not been granted so far.

''The judiciary, which has played a commendable role in ensuring accountability in the executive branch, has not been able to ensure accountability in its own ranks,'' they observed.

UNI