New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has deferred till Wednesday, September 1, the hearing on a petition challenging the appointment of IPS officer Rakesh Asthnal to the post of Delhi Police Commissioner. A bench headed by Chief Justice DN Patel gave this order.
During the hearing, advocate Prashant Bhushan said that the petition which he had filed in the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of Rakesh Asthnal has been cut and pasted and this petition has been filed in the High Court. Bhushan said that he has filed an intervention petition in the matter.
Calling it an abuse of the law, he said that, in this case, neither the petitioner nor the government has stated that the matter is pending in the Supreme Court. To this, Additional Solicitor General Chetan Sharma, appearing for the Centre, said that they were not aware of this fact. Then Bhushan said that his petition is against the central government and when it was heard in the Supreme Court, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the Center and he was aware of the matter.
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After that, the court adjourned the hearing of the matter till Wednesday.
During a hearing August 24, Prashant Bhushan had said that he has filed a petition in the Supreme Court challenging the appointment of Rakesh Asthana to the post of Delhi Police Commissioner. Thereafter, the court ordered the hearing to be adjourned. On August 25, the Supreme Court refused to hear Prashant Bhushan's plea and directed the Delhi High Court to dispose of it within two weeks. The apex court had directed Prashant Bhushan to present his point of view in the High Court.
On August 18, the High Court had asked the central government whether a petition challenging the appointment of Rakesh Asthana to the post of Delhi Police Commissioner was pending in any other court. During the hearing, the court had asked the petitioner to explain how his petition was maintainable. The petition has been filed by Delhi lawyer Badla Alam.
The petition stated that 1984 batch IPS officer Rakesh Asthana was made Delhi Police Commissioner July 27, just four days before his retirement. His appointment is in violation of the guidelines laid down in the Supreme Court's decision of Parkash Singh.
