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Journalism of Courage
Months before allegations by Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta against the acting Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court, Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, became public, the Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association, Jodhpur, had requested the Chief Justice of India to shift Sharma out of Rajasthan “so that harmony can be maintained between the Bar and the Bench”.
In his letter to CJI Surya Kant on April 25, Ranjeet Joshi, president of the Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association, Jodhpur, sought the appointment of a permanent Chief Justice in the Rajasthan High Court.
Joshi wrote, “The current circumstances are not achieving the desired cordial relationship between the Bar and the Bench. The lack of communication and treatment of advocates is leading to frequent disagreements and conflicts. Furthermore, there are also issues regarding the basic needs of advocates, such as providing small chambers/meeting spaces (for example, 10×10 feet tin sheds), for which the expected cooperation is not being received, due to which there is dissatisfaction among the advocates.”
“In such circumstances, to maintain the dignity of the court, the continuity of judicial work, and a healthy environment, it has become absolutely necessary to appoint a permanent Chief Justice of the Rajasthan High Court as soon as possible. Considering the current administrative circumstances, the transfer of the Acting Chief Justice outside the state of Rajasthan should be considered, so that a harmonious atmosphere can be re-established between the Bar and the Bench,” Joshi wrote.
“Therefore, Rajasthan High Court Advocates Association, Jodhpur, humbly requests you to seriously consider the above facts and transfer the Acting Chief Justice of Rajasthan, Hon’ble Shri S P Sharma, to some other state outside the state of Rajasthan so that harmony can be maintained between the Bar and the Bench,” he wrote.
Justice Mehta recently wrote to the CJI requesting Justice Sharma’s transfer to another High Court and the appointment of a new Chief Justice from some other High Court.
In a series of three letters, also marked to other members of the Supreme Court Collegium earlier this month, Justice Mehta, who also hails from Rajasthan, accused Justice Sharma of “misuse of powers” and said he had received “several complaints” which “raise doubts on” Justice Sharma’s “integrity”.
He requested that Justice Sharma be “forthwith transferred out of the State looking to his unbecoming conduct” and that not doing so would be “wholly against the interest of the institution”.
