HC judge threatens CBI joint director

New Delhi: An Allahabad high court judge made an unusual attempt to determine which lawyer should represent the CBI in a case and even threatened criminal prosecution against the agency’s joint director while making allegations against him in an undignified language.
A shocked Supreme Court bench set aside the order of the HC single judge, who had asked the joint director, Javed Ahmed, to appear before him on August 1 with a threat that he would seriously consider arresting him to show him his place. After hearing Attorney General G E Vahanvati, the SC bench expunged all extraneous remarks against Ahmed in the two orders of July 28 and July 29 and asked the HC chief justice to entrust the hearing of the case to a judge other than Justice Vinod Prasad.
On July 28, a counsel sought adjournment of hearing on a CBI case telling the judge that the main counsel Anurag Khanna was indisposed. Justice Prasad said he has come to know that Khanna was not engaged by the CBI at all and that his appearance in the matter was illegal.
Out of the blue, Justice Prasad directed Ahmed to appear before the court on July 29 “to explain his conduct and why an FIR be not directed to be registered against him in cheating the court” by allowing appearance of Khanna. The judge also asked why a recommendation be not sent to the Union government for his removal.
The CBI challenged the HC judge’s unwarranted aggression and remarks in the apex court.
Advertisement