SC to hear on Tuesday plea for recall of Judge Loya case judgment
New Delhi, July 28 : The Supreme Court will hear, on July 31, a plea of Bombay Lawyers Association seeking a review and recall of its judgment that held that Special CBI Court Judge B.H. Loya had met with natural death and that a PIL was misused for advancing political agenda and to scandalise the judiciary.
A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra, which had earlier rejected the plea for a SIT probe into the judge's death, will hear the plea on Tuesday.
The top court in its April 19 judgment had said: "It gives a sense of anguish that the proceedings were converted to scandalise the judiciary bordering on contempt."
The Bombay Lawyers Association was one of the petitioners who pleaded for a Special Investigation Team probe into the death, which the Supreme Court declined.
When Judge Loya died of a cardiac failure on December 1, 2014, he was conducting a trial in a case related to the alleged staged shootout killing of Sohrabuddin Sheikh in November 2005.
Now Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah was one of the accused in the case but was later discharged.
The recall plea filed by senior counsel Dushyant Dave said that the "judgment and order passed by this court requires serious reconsideration and upon such reconsideration deserve to be recalled in the interest of justice and in larger public interest".
He contended that the top court committed an error by relying on the report of Commissioner, Intelligence -- a police officer -- who had conducted an enquiry and reached the conclusion that Judge Loya died of natural causes and that the case did not require an independent investigation.
"It is submitted that in this country, statements made before police officers are not admissible in the eyes of law. Therefore, the inquiry report could not have been placed on a higher pedestal than what law permits and demands," said the plea.
Holding as "erroneous" the finding that the Maharashtra government was authorised to hold an inquiry, the review plea contended that it was a "purely internal administrative inquiry" which was "secretive" and without any legal footing.
The death of Judge Loya demands an "independent inquiry" under the Commission of Enquiry Act, 1952, or ordered by the High Court or Supreme Court in exercise of its extraordinary powers.
Such an "open and transparent" inquiry, the review plea said, should be in accordance with the principles of natural justice, involving the summoning of witnesses, cross-examining them, recording evidence and permitting parties to adduce evidence.
This point was advanced before the top court in the course of the hearing of PILs that sought SIT probe into Judge Loya's death but were rejected.
That the judgment needs to be recalled, the review plea says "in as much as it proceeds on the premise that once statements of the judges are recorded by the Commissioner Intelligence, the same must be accepted and cannot be questioned by anybody".
Questioning the veracity of the statements of the judges in the Judge Loya death case, the plea maintained that "such questioning does not amount to either disrespect of the judges, much less a wanton attack on the independence of judiciary".
The inquiry report prepared by the Commissioner Intelligence, the review plea said, "when viewed in the light of freely recorded video interviews of Judge Loya's father and sisters, appears to be a sham and a clear attempt to obstruct justice".
"The father and the sisters had spoken about the pressure on late Judge Loya (and) the offers of bribe to him," said the review petition.
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Tribals, Scheduled Castes preserved India's identity and soul despite foreign invasions: Bhagwat
Mumbai (PTI): RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat has said that despite foreign invasions and hardships, tribal communities and Scheduled Castes preserved the country's identity and soul, stressing the need to integrate them into the mainstream development process.
He was speaking on Saturday at the Karmayogi awards ceremony in Mumbai, where Union Road Transport and Highways Minister Nitin Gadkari was also present.
"Human life is defined by giving back to the world, as we are all part of one great family. A person works and spends for the betterment of society, not as a favour, but out of duty. In serving others, we foster our own development. By helping others to thrive, we elevate ourselves and grow as human beings. This principle is the core value of this Indian land, commonly known as a Hindu society," Bhagwat said.
"This is the society's enduring ethos, which has survived for thousands of years. For various reasons, partly because of our indifference and partly because of foreign invasion, those who preserved this ethos paid a heavy price," he said.
The foreign invaders found that this ethos, this value system of the society is its soul and the key to keeping it alive. So they ensured that those who tried to preserve this soul would be uprooted and face extreme hardships, the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) chief noted.
But despite foreign invasions and hardships, tribal communities and Scheduled Castes preserved the country's identity and its soul, he said.
"Despite such adversities, the country's core identity remained intact among tribal communities and those belonging to SC and ST groups," he said, emphasising the need to integrate them into the mainstream development process while ensuring they receive equal access to services and facilities.
Referring to global developments, Bhagwat said the present world is "stumbling forward" and struggling to maintain balance, and asserted that India could emerge as a stabilising force.
The country must not only safeguard its own interests but also extend support to the world, he said.
"The world should get to see that the country is not only solving its own misery and sorrow but also helping the world to address similar issues," he said.
The RSS chief stressed that service to society is not a favour but a duty that contributes to one's own development.
Helping others grow also elevates individuals and strengthens the collective fabric of society, he said.
The so-called educated and developed sections have, over time, distanced themselves from these communities, Bhagwat pointed out, and called for the need to bridge this gap.
The identities preserved by these communities represent the true identity of Indian society, he said and underlined that without identity, existence itself is at risk.
