SC to examine delay in appointment of Kureshi as MP CJ

The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to examine a petition questioning the delay by the Centre in clearing the name of Justice Akil A Kureshi as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

A bench of Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi and Justice Deepak Gupta asked senior advocate Arvind Datar to serve the copy of the petition filed by the Gujarat High Court Advocates Association to Solicitor General Tushar Mehta who would assist the court in dealing with the plea.

During the brief hearing, Datar pointed out the Centre did not clear the file for appointment of Justice Kureshi as the Chief Justice and on June 7 came out with a notification appointing Justice Ravi Shanker Jha as Acting Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court.

The bench, during the brief hearing, observed that there were other recommendations which were not given effect too. The court put the matter for further hearing on July 22.

Appointment of Justice Kureshi as Chief Justice in Madhya Pradesh High Court was recommended by the collegium on May 10.

The petition which sought a direction to implement the Collegium's recommendation also highlighted that 18 other additional judges of different High Courts have been appointed after May 10.

It contended the reluctance of the Centre to appoint Justice Kureshi as Chief Justice of Madhya Pradesh was against the procedure laid down in the Memorandum of Procedure (MoP) and amounted to a violation of Articles 14 and 217 of the Constitution.

GHCAA President Yatin Oza had earlier claimed that Justice Kureshi was being singled out for an order passed by him in 2010, remanding current Union Home Minister Amit Shah to police custody.