New Delhi: For the first time ever in nearly three decades, the Chief Justice of India has allowed the CBI to lodge an FIR against sitting High Court Judge.
Justice SN Shukla of the Allahabad High Court has become the first sitting high court judge to be prosecuted while serving in the office, India today reports.
According to reports, Justice Shukla is accused of favoring a private medical college by extending it’s admission deadline against the existing rules.
Prosecution of Supreme Court, High Court Judges was not allowed till July 1991 when the top court provided for lodging FIR against them in the landmark Veeraswamy case.
Justice Veeraswamy of the Madras High Court had been booked in a case of corruption in 1976.
Justice Veeraswamy had then challenged the government’s decision arguing law gives immunity to judges of the appellate courts from prosecution. However, the matter was moved to Supreme Court, which in 1991 allowed prosecution of judges of the high court and the Supreme Court on condition of getting permission from the Chief Justice of India alone.
Ever since 1991, this will be the first case in 28 years where a High court sitting Judge will be prosecuted.
The Supreme Court found Justice Shukla guilty of misconduct for deliberately delivering erroneous judgment to benefit the private medical college.