Govt returns file to collegium on Justice Kureshi's elevation as MP chief justice
New Delhi, Aug 29: The government is learnt to have returned to the Supreme Court collegium its recommendation to elevate Justice Akil Kureshi as the chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, sources in the Law Ministry said on Wednesday.
The sources indicated that the government was not averse to elevating Justice Kureshi as the chief justice of some other high court.
They, however, did not give reasons behind the government's decision to send back the file.
The Gujarat High Court Advocates Association (GHCAA) had filed a petition in the Supreme Court seeking direction to the Centre to notify the elevation of Justice Kureshi.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday said it had received a communication from the Ministry of Law and Justice on the Collegium's recommendation elevating Justice Akil Kureshi as the chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi said that his office had received a communication from the ministry and it would be placed before the Collegium to take a call on it.
"A communication has been received by the office of the Chief Justice of India, on the administrative side, from the Department of Justice. The same will be put up before the Collegium in due course. Matter be listed once the decision of the Collegium is taken on the basis of the response/ communication of the Department of Justice," the bench also comprising Justices S A Bobde and S A Nazeer said.
On August 16, the Centre had told the apex court that it would take a call within a week on the Collegium's May 10 recommendation on elevation of Justice Akil Kureshi as chief justice of Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The lawyers' body alleged that the government has cleared the appointment of chief justices of other high courts.
The plea had said that Justice Kureshi's name has not been notified by the government even after the collegium recommended his name on May 10.
The government had on June 7 appointed Justice Ravi Shanker Jha as acting chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Appointment of Justice Kureshi as chief justice of the Madhya Pradesh high court was recommended by the collegium on May 10 this year.
The collegium's resolution had stated, "Justice A A Kureshi is the senior-most judge from the Gujarat high court and at present is functioning, on transfer, in the Bombay High Court.
"Having regard to all relevant factors, the Collegium is of the considered view that Justice A A Kureshi is suitable in all respects for being appointed as Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh high court. The Collegium resolves to recommend accordingly."
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Bengal: Over 55 pc turnout till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of 2 assembly seats
Kolkata (PTI): Over 55 per cent turnout was recorded till 1 pm in repoll in 15 booths of two assembly constituencies in West Bengal's South 24 Parganas district on Saturday, an official said.
Voting was underway more or less peacefully at 11 polling stations of Magrahat Paschim assembly constituency and four in Diamond Harbour, where the EC ordered repoll a day ago, following reports of electoral malpractices.
However, at booth number 179 at Chanda Primary School of Diamond Harbour seat, the Trinamool Congress alleged that a specially abled voter and his mother were harassed by central forces. The alleged incident sparked protests by party workers and locals.
The TMC claimed that the voter's mother, who had entered the booth to assist him, and her son were detained for a considerable time by central forces over alleged rule violations.
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"TMC leaders Manmohini Biswas and Pratik Ur Rahman reached the spot and led the protests, with residents terming the action unwarranted harassment. The matter has been taken care of by our officials there," an official of the poll body said.
Polling was otherwise peaceful across 15 booths in the area, he added.
Voting began at 7 am and will continue till 6 pm, the official said, adding that till 1 pm, the turnout was 55.57 per cent.
Magrahat Paschim registered 56.33 per cent voter turnout, while in Diamond Harbour, it was 54.9 per cent, a poll official stated.
Voting in these two assembly constituencies was held in the second phase of the state elections on April 29.
The repoll order was based on reports received from returning officers and observers of the two constituencies and "material circumstances", the Election Commission official said.
In Magrahat Paschim, TMC's Md Samim Ahamed Molla is pitted against BJP nominee Goursundar Ghosh, while Abdul Majid Halder of the Congress and ISF candidate Abdul Aziz Al Hassan are also in the fray.
TMC candidate Panna Lal Halder is contesting against Dipak Kumar Halder of the BJP in the Diamond Harbour seat. Goutam Bhattacharya of the Congress and CPI(M)'s Samar Naiya are among other candidates.
The BJP had alleged rampant electoral malpractices in certain polling stations of both the assembly seats under the Diamond Harbour Lok Sabha constituency, which is represented by TMC national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee.
The EC had deputed its special observer, Subrata Gupta, to fact-check the allegations from the ground.
The poll panel will decide on repolling in the Falta assembly constituency on Saturday.
The West Bengal assembly elections were held in two phases -- April 23 and April 29 -- amid unprecedented security arrangements.
Counting of votes will take place on May 4.
