Supreme Court Judge issue rocks Rajya Sabha

New Delhi, Mar 16 (UNI) The issue of Supreme Court judge A R Lakshmanan getting an anonymous letter over his tackling of the disproportionate assets case against UP Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today rocked the Rajya Sabha leading to its adjournment for the day.

Vociferous protests from the Treasury benches, forced the Speaker to give repeated reminders to the agitating Members that they were disrupting their own business.

As soon as Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar finished his statement on the food security after the House had reassembled at 1430 hrs following two earlier adjournment over the Nandigram issue, the Congress members Narain Swamy and Rashid Alvi rose up and wanted the business of taking up Private Members' Bill to be suspended and the issue of the judge to be taken up.

Deputy Chairperson K Rehman Khan told them to raise the issue on Monday and allow the Members to introduce their Bills. However, the Congress continued with the protests, and the Chair finally decided to adjourn the House for ten minutes.

When the House reassembled, the Deputy Chairperson asked the Members to introduce the bills and some of them did.

However, as the Bill on The Agricultural Produce (Remunerative Prices) Bill, 2006 named against Mr Swamy came up, he along with Mr Rashid Alvi again rose up and said the business should be suspended to discuss the Judge issue first.

He was meanwhile joined by by other Members who shouting to the top of their voices sought to impress upon the Chair the urgency and gravity of the matter.

On the other hand, the NDA Members also joined in the uproar, protesting against the disturbance caused by the Congress members.

Meanwhile, Minister of State for Home S Reghupathy when asked by the Chair whether the Government had anything to say, rose up and made a statement that the Government will give full protection to the apex court judge.

He, however, told the House the Government would formally react to the whole episode after it received a report from the Chief Justice.

However, the Congress members were not satisfied and continued with their protests.

Mr Sharad Joshi of Swatantra Bharat Raksha Party, who rose up to speak on the Bill, expressed his disappointment over the disturbance caused in the House, saying the point Mr Swamy was trying to make might be important but he could make it some other time.

Meanwhile, the Deputy Chairman continued with his repeated appeal to the Treasury benches to calm down but in vain, finally, he announced adjournment of the House till Monday.

Justice Lakshmanan, who had headed the bench that ordered a CBI inquiry against the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and his family members in the disproportionate assets case, had this morning declined to hear the review petition after receiving the anonymous letter.

The judge virtually broke down in the court as hearing began on the review petition, filed by Mr Yadav's son and MP Akhilesh Yadav, challenging the apex court order for the CBI Inquiry.

''In my career of 17 and a half years as a judge of various High Courts and five years in Supreme Court, I have never received such a letter. I, my wife and my family members are very much disturbed,'' Justice Lakshmanan had said.

UNI