<p>Retired High Court judge Justice Uma Nath Singh on Monday offered to resign as Nagaland Lokayukta before the Supreme Court due to "unpleasant circumstances and a very hostile environment".</p>.<p>Justice Singh, former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya HC, was appointed as chairperson of the Nagaland Lokayukta on March 13, 2019.</p>.<p>The Nagaland government had filed a petition in SC seeking a direction to cease his powers alleging "impropriety, abuse of power and office, arbitrariness and self-centrism". Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Justice Singh, submitted that he was ready to resign before a bench presided over by Chief Justice S A Bobde. The court, taking note of his submission, disposed of the petition by the state government.</p>.<p>In a note, Justice Singh said the court may treat this as his resignation and may pass orders accordingly.</p>.<p>He also asked the court to direct the state or other authority or person to not use or refer to any material, defaming him in the media so as to cause any stigma in any manner to his privileges and status, professional, official or otherwise.</p>.<p>"There should only be a factual reporting strictly confined to the content of the order and no one should be permitted to tarnish his image bringing distorted facts and twisting the observations of this court in front of the media or otherwise by any authority or individual," his note stated.</p>.<p>The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, however, declined to issue any such direction.</p>.<p>In its petition, the state government alleged that Justice Singh sought exemption from frisking at Guwahati Airport, made unjustified and excessive demands for allotment of a former residence-cum-office of a chief minister and made the state government spend Rs 46.79 lakh to make ready a bungalow of his choice only.</p>.<p>He also allegedly directed that his photograph be displayed next to the governor and the chief minister on the official website, it said.</p>.<p>Among other things, the state government claimed that Justice Singh had virtually taken over power of the Upa Lokayukta and had shown his "prejudice against Nagas in day-to-day conduct".</p>
<p>Retired High Court judge Justice Uma Nath Singh on Monday offered to resign as Nagaland Lokayukta before the Supreme Court due to "unpleasant circumstances and a very hostile environment".</p>.<p>Justice Singh, former Chief Justice of the Meghalaya HC, was appointed as chairperson of the Nagaland Lokayukta on March 13, 2019.</p>.<p>The Nagaland government had filed a petition in SC seeking a direction to cease his powers alleging "impropriety, abuse of power and office, arbitrariness and self-centrism". Senior advocate Vikas Singh, appearing for Justice Singh, submitted that he was ready to resign before a bench presided over by Chief Justice S A Bobde. The court, taking note of his submission, disposed of the petition by the state government.</p>.<p>In a note, Justice Singh said the court may treat this as his resignation and may pass orders accordingly.</p>.<p>He also asked the court to direct the state or other authority or person to not use or refer to any material, defaming him in the media so as to cause any stigma in any manner to his privileges and status, professional, official or otherwise.</p>.<p>"There should only be a factual reporting strictly confined to the content of the order and no one should be permitted to tarnish his image bringing distorted facts and twisting the observations of this court in front of the media or otherwise by any authority or individual," his note stated.</p>.<p>The bench, also comprising Justices A S Bopanna and V Ramasubramanian, however, declined to issue any such direction.</p>.<p>In its petition, the state government alleged that Justice Singh sought exemption from frisking at Guwahati Airport, made unjustified and excessive demands for allotment of a former residence-cum-office of a chief minister and made the state government spend Rs 46.79 lakh to make ready a bungalow of his choice only.</p>.<p>He also allegedly directed that his photograph be displayed next to the governor and the chief minister on the official website, it said.</p>.<p>Among other things, the state government claimed that Justice Singh had virtually taken over power of the Upa Lokayukta and had shown his "prejudice against Nagas in day-to-day conduct".</p>
