Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi has permitted the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to register a case against S.N. Shukla, a judge of the Allahabad High Court, for his alleged role in a medical admission scam.
Reportedly, the CBI had written to the Chief Justice Gogoi seeking permission to investigate Justice Shukla in the case after which CJI had given the go-ahead to the CBI Director to convert preliminary enquiry against Justice Shukla into a regular case.
It may be noted that a case cannot be filed against a sitting judge without the permission of the Chief Justice of India.
Justice Shukla, hence, became the first sitting High Court judge to be investigated -- after a gap of nearly 28 years.
Justice Shukla has been accused of extending favours to a private medical college by allowing it to extend its deadline to admit students, which was considered against the existing rules and a violation of the Supreme Court order.
A preliminary enquiry against Justice Shukla was ordered by former Chief Justice Deepak Misra after receiving a complaint from Uttar Pradesh Advocate General Raghvendra Singh, alleging judicial misconduct by Justice Shukla on September 2017.
Then CJI Misra set up a panel comprising Madras High Court Chief Justice Indira Banerjee, then Sikkim High Court Chief Justice S.K. Agnihotri and Madhya Pradesh High Court Justice P.K. Jaiswal.
This panel investigated the allegation levelled against Justice Shukla and concluded there was sufficient evidence to indicate his involvement in the matter.
The panel indicted him for breaching the oath of office. Then CJI Misra asked him to resign or retire voluntarily. However, Shukla declined following which judicial work was withdrawn from him in 2018.
Justice Shukla had written to Gogoi requesting re-allocation of judicial work following his indictment by the panel. Justice Shukla's request has been denied.
(With IANS inputs)
