One of SC’s most outspoken judges will oversee CVC probe against Alok Verma

New Delhi, Oct 25: Justice A K Patnaik was appointed today by the Supreme Court to oversee the probe by the CVC against CBI director, Alok Verma, who was asked to go on leave by the government.

The CVC would have to inquire into the matter and report to the SC in two weeks time.

Who is Justice Patnaik? He was appointed as the judge of the Supreme Court in November 2009 and retired in June 2014. He is one of the most vocal judges that the Supreme Court has ever seen.

In 2014, he had raised serious questions about the appointment and transfer of judges. He had called it a give and take policy. He also said that he was a victim of the collegium system.

This is the not the first time that Justice Patnaik will head a committee. He was member of the in-house committee that probed the allegations made against Justice Soumitra Sen when an impeachment motion was moved against him. The committee had said the Justice Sen was guilty of misconduct. The Rajya Sabha had accepted the motion of impeachment against him, but he resigned just before the Lok Sabha took it up.

Prior to being elevated to the Supreme Court, he was served as a Chief Justice of the High Court for nearly five years.

It may be recalled that it was Bench headed by Justice Patnaik that held lawmkers cab be disqualified if they have been convicted for a criminal offence. He was also part of the Bench that heard the illegal iron ore mining case.