New Delhi/Uttar Pradesh: In a first of its kind decision, theChief Justice Ranjan Gogoi on Tuesday allowed the Central Bureau of Investigation to register a regular case against sitting Allahabad High Court judge SN Shukla in a case relating to corruption in medical admissions.
This is for the first time in judicial history that a sitting HC judge will face a probe by the CBI under corruption charges.
On Tuesday, the CJI responded to a request made by the CBI director regarding registration of a regular case (RC) on the basis of certain evidence collected after lodging of a preliminary enquiry (PE)."After perusing the material, the CJI wrote to the CBI Director am constrained to grant permission to initiate a regular case for investigation," wrote the CJI.
Registration of a regular case will open up the possibility of the CBI interrogating Justice Shukla, and even press for his custodial interrogation before the trial court concerned.
The CJI's step aims at curbing instances of judicial corruption wherein the judges of higher courts, by virtue of their elevated status under the Constitution, are immune from criminal prosecution unless the CJI is satisfied that there is enough material to let an agency probe a judge.
In this case, the CBI director had placed before the CJI various materials, collected during the preliminary enquiry, to satisfy that the PE should be converted into the RC for a comprehensive investigation.