Yet another bench recuses itself from hearing Virbhadra's plea

The court also directed the state government not to file a charge sheet against him till the next hearing of the petition. The government counsel Satya Pal Jain gave an undertaking to this effect before the division bench of the High Court comprising Chief Justice Kurian Joseph and Justice Deepak Gupta.

A day after Justice Rajiv Sharma of a division bench of the high court refused to hear Singh's plea, two judges of another division bench of the court constituted yesterday recused themselves from hearing his plea seeking transfer of the CD case in which the former chief minister faces graft charges to the CBI.

A division bench comprising Justice R B Mishra and Justice V K Sharma recused themselves from hearing the case, asking the counsel for both the parties to ask the Chief Justice for placing the petition before an appropriate court. The counsel for Virbhadra Singh objected to filing of the charge-sheet before the trial court on the ground that the case was pending in the high court and as such it would be inappropriate for the state to proceed against him.

Responding to his arguments, Jain said the government would not file the charge-sheet till September 24 and also informed the court that the charge-sheet in the case was completed on June 1, 2010 and the government could file it in the appropriate court anytime, even tomorrow. Virbhadra Singh, a five time chief minister of the state had moved the HC on September 14 for transferring thealleged corruption case against him and his wife to CBI.

He had also sought institution of a similar enquiry against Chief Minister Prem Kumar Dhumal and Director General of Police (DGP) D S Manhas in another CD case.