The Supreme Court on Thursday denied media reports about selective leaks from within the top court on purported “in-house” inquiries being conducted against certain sitting judges.
In an official statement denying the claim, apex court spokesperson Rakesh Sharma particularly censured the reports’ attribution of their content to Supreme Court sources. The reports were filed by journalists based in Andhra Pradesh and Chennai.
It is rare for the Supreme Court to issue a denial against media reports.
“Media has recently been reporting about complaints making insinuations against members of the higher judiciary, and the action likely to be taken by the Chief Justice of India,” Sharma said.
“Supreme Court is being quoted as the source of the information. It is clarified once and for all that inquiries under the ‘in-house procedure’ being totally and wholly confidential in nature, Supreme Court never releases information in matters incidental thereto.”
According to a handful of media reports from Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Tamil Nadu, Chief Justice of India S.A. Bobde has asked Andhra chief minister Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to file an affidavit in support of his allegation that Andhra Pradesh High Court was biased against him.
The allegation was aired by Jagan’s principal secretary Ajey Kallam at a news conference on October 10.
Jagan, who faces a slew of corruption cases, also alleged that Justice N.V. Ramana of the apex court, a Chief Justice of India-in-waiting, was interfering in the affairs of Andhra Pradesh High Court.
The media reports claimed that Justice Bobde had sought a report from Justice Ramana on the matter.
Justice Ramana currently heads a bench that is monitoring the top court’s 2018 judgment mandating the completion of criminal trials against lawmakers in special courts within one year.
Several advocates have moved contempt petitions in the Supreme Court against Jagan in connection with the October 10 allegations.
Andhra Pradesh High Court too has chided the chief minister and noted that he faces 30-odd cases relating to alleged corruption, money-laundering and other criminal offences.