SC clears the name of controversial judge for Chhattisgarh CJ

New Delhi, Apr 9 (UNI) The Supreme Court Collegium has cleared the name of Allahabad High Court judge Justice Jagdish Bhalla for his elevation as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh High Court.

President A PJ. Abdul Kalam had earlier returned the file of Justice Bhalla to the government for reconsideration in view of the alleged involvement of the judge's wife in a land scam as she was reported to have got land worth several crores in Noida at throwaway prices.

The Collegium had earlier recommended his elevation as Kerala High Court Chief Justice.

Now with the clearance of his name by the Supreme Court collegium for the second time , the President will have to sign the orders for his elevation as Chief Justice of Chhattisgarh high court.

Justice Bhalla was one of the three judges on the bench which had referred back to the UP assembly speaker the issue of defection of 37 BSP MLAs allegedly engineered by Mulayam Singh Yadav to form his government in the state in 2003.

UNI