Justice Chelameswar refuses to hear plea on assigning cases

Justice Jasti Chelameswar, one of the four judges who had questioned the way cases are assigned in the Supreme Court on Thursday once again expressed his anguish over affairs in the apex court and refused to order listing of a PIL filed by former Union law minister Shanti Bhushan.

Prashant Bhushan had requested Justice Chelameswar's bench to take up his father Shanti Bhushan's petition asking that cases be allotted by a collegium or group of judges for transparency.

Bhushan initially mentioned the matter before Justice Chelameswar and said this was an emergency situation. He said he was referring the matter to Justice Chelameswar's bench as the PIL challenges the master of roster concept and the CJI can't deal with it.

Justice Chelameswar said the reasons were too obvious and he would not like to deal with the matter.

His remarks came in the backdrop of two recent letters written by him and Justice Kurian Joseph over the affairs of the Supreme Court and alleged interference by the executive into judicial matters.

He said today that he had written a letter a few days ago to highlight affairs in the Supreme Court and in the country.

"Someone is running a relentless tirade against me that I am up to grab something. There is nothing I can do much in this. I am sorry, you please understand my difficulty," Justice Chelameswar told Bhushan.

He said the country will understand everything and will follow its own course.

"I don't want one more reversal of my order in next 24 hours. This is why I can't do it. Please understand my difficulty," he said.

Bhushan approached the CJI, saying Justice Chelameswar refused to hear the case and that the grievances raised in the petition should be addressed by the court.

OneIndia News (with agency inputs)