SC Collegium Recalls Judge’s Appointment To Allahabad HC Over Graft Allegations

The Supreme Court collegium headed by Chief Justice of India J.S. Khehar has reportedly recalled the recommendation for elevation of a Lucknow District Judge to the Allahabad High Court, after allegations of graft surfaced through an Intelligence Bureau (IB) inquiry report.

The recommendation was recalled just before it was to be forwarded by the Centre to President Pranab Mukherjee for his assent last week. The intervention took place on behest of Chief Justice of Allahabad High Court, Justice Dilip B. Bhosale, who acted on the IB report which had alleged that Judge O.P. Mishra had received large bribes to grant bail to former UP Minister Gayatri Prajapati.

Prajapati was granted bail after he had been on the run for more than a month following the registration of an FIR against him in a rape case. The bail was, however, cancelled later by the High Court, which had questioned the manner in which the ASJ had handled the matter, observing that “the entire process was concluded as if the grant of bail had been preordained”.

“Rather, the entire episode indicates that the manner in which the bail was granted almost on the eve of the retirement of the officer concerned, that too even without any opportunity being afforded to the prosecution in the real sense, the grant of bail was clearly vitiated,” Justice A.P. Sahi had further observed.

Justice Bhosale had thereafter ordered an IB inquiry into the matter. The investigation has now allegedly revealed the involvement of not just the POCSO Judge, but also the District Judge of Lucknow and three advocates, all office-bearers of the bar.