HC questions Bar members' petition against judge

The High Court on Wednesday observed that members of the Bar had no business to file a petition against a sitting judge of the Karnataka High Court.

Justice Ram Mohan Reddy said that after his retirement on June 5, 2016, he will file a case against every one who had filed the petition against him and take them to the magistrate’s court.

The bench was referring to the petition filed by advocate NP Amruthesh signed by over 700 members of the Bar who had sought directions to Advocates' Association to hold a special general body meeting to discuss the “indiscipline” and “abnormal behaviour” of the sitting judge during the proceedings.

During the hearing with regard to the matter to initiate contempt proceedings against president of Samaja Parivarthana Samudaya (SPS) SR Hiremath, the bench asked why it had to recuse from hearing the case. The bench questioned how Hiremath could hold a press conference giving statements saying that the sitting judge of the High Court and the government counsel were 'hand in glove' with builders and were delaying court proceedings.

Hiremath’s counsel S Basavaraj stated, “When the members of the Bar expressed an opinion about the sitting judge, I being an ordinary person, will have apprehensions about the judge handling the case.” Senior counsel Uday Holla appearing for Prestige Estates Projects Ltd said that every litigant cannot be given the opportunity to chose the judge on the basis that the judge is biased.

The petition is about Prestige, which has questioned the cancellation of the 3.23 acres of land in Patandur Agrahara village near Whitefield which was sold to them by Joy Ice cream and which was initially allotted by KIADB. SPS has impleaded itself in the petition stating that the land is gomal land and should not be allotted to any private party. The bench adjourned the hearing to Thursday.