Supreme Court shifts case from NCLAT Chennai to Delhi after judicial member claims interference by retired judge

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday transferred commercial dispute pending before the Chennai bench of National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) to Principal Bench in Delhi after a judicial member over there alleged that he was approached by a retired High Court judge to favour one of the parties to the case.

In view of the sensational claim, a bench of Justices Surya Kant and Joymalya Bagchi shifted the case, in which the judicial member has recused itself from hearing, from the National Company Law Appellate Tribunal (NCLAT) bench at Chennai to the NCLAT, principal bench at New Delhi.

The court, however, decided to deal with a writ petition filed by M/s A S Met Corp Pvt Ltd, raising the issue, for consideration on administrative side.

Advocate Prashant Bhushan for the petitioner claimed before the top court that according to his information, "the message came from the Chief Justice of a high court" to the judicial member of the company's appellate tribunal.

The court had on August 27 ordered an inquiry into the claims of a judicial member of the NCLAT of being "approached by one of the most revered members of the higher judiciary", for a favourable order in a case which was pending before the bench.

Justice Sharad Kumar Sharma, the judicial member of the Chennai-based NCLAT, alleged that he was being approached by a member of higher judiciary for a favourable order in a case which was pending before him.