Three jurists seek dismissal of high court judge

New Delhi, Nov 16 (IANS) Levelling serious allegations of corruption against a sitting high court judge, three eminent jurists Friday urged leaders of all political parties to initiate parliamentary proceedings for his dismissal.

In a jointly signed statement, former law ministers Shanti Bhushan and Ram Jethmalani and constitutional expert Fali S. Nariman accused Justice Jagdish Bhalla of the Chhattisgarh High Court of serious judicial impropriety and misconduct and levelled serious charges of corruption against him.

In their statement, to be sent to leaders of all political parties, the three jurists said it should be signed by their parliamentarians to set in motion the parliamentary process of impeachment of Justice Bhalla, who is now tipped to become Chief Justice of the Himachal Pradesh High Court.

They have alleged that Justice Bhalla, utilizing his influence, procured at a throwaway price a huge piece of land measuring 7,200 sq m in a posh locality of Noida on the outskirts of the national capital.

The three jurists, who had documentary evidence as proof, said the land bought by Justice Bhalla in the name of his wife Renu Bhalla was actually government land, grabbed by a land mafiaso.

They said land shark Moti Goel had sold several pieces of illegally grabbed land to many influential people, including Justice Bhalla, to evade the law. The land that Goel sold to Justice Bhalla's wife for a mere Rs.500,000, is officially worth Rs.72 million.

They said as a senior judge of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, Bhalla had helped Reliance Energy get a favourable judicial verdict because his son Arohi Bhalla represented Reliance Energy as its legal counsel.

Another allegation was that Bhalla utilized his influence to have several plots allotted to his relatives in Lucknow's posh localities.

The three jurists supported their allegations with documentary evidence.

As per prevalent laws, a sitting judge of the higher judiciary can be removed from service only through a cumbersome parliamentary proceeding of impeachment, which can be set in motion only after a requisite number of MPs sign a memorandum seeking his removal.

The memorandum then has to be presented to the Lok Sabha speaker or the Rajya Sabha chairman, who, in turn, constitutes an enquiry committee to probe the authenticity of the charges.

Once this committee recommends removal of the judge, it has to be passed by two-thirds majority of parliament members, present and voting in the house on the motion for dismissal of the judge.