Supreme Court judge Justice AK Sikri on Thursday recused himself from hearing a plea challenging the Centre’s decision to appoint M Nageswara Rao as the interim CBI director.
A Bench headed by Justice Sikri listed the matter for Friday for hearing before a different Bench.
Justice Sikri was part of the high powered panel which had removed CBI Director Alok Verma.
As soon as the matter came up for hearing, Justice Sikri told senior advocate Dushyant Dave, appearing for petitioner NGO Common Cause, that he would not like to hear the matter and was recusing himself.
“You understand my position. I can’t hear this matter,” Justice Sikri said.
To this Dave said, “It is becoming very frustrating and it is giving an impression that your Lordship does not want to hear this matter. Earlier also the CJI had recused when the matter was listed for hearing. Now your lordship (Justice Sikri) is also recusing from the matter”.
To this Justice Sikri said, he is recusing from the matter and can’t say anything.
Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi had on Monday recused himself from hearing the plea challenging the appointment of Rao as interim CBI director, saying he would be part of the selection committee to choose the agency’s new chief.
Dave said that if Lordship (Justice Sikri) wanted to recuse from hearing this matter then he should have done it earlier.
Justice Sikri told Dave that had this been an administrative order, he would have recused from the matter but he can’t recuse himself from the matter without sitting to hear the case when the order was passed on the judicial side on Monday.