But now that the cat is not just out of the bag but is out among the pigeons, what happens next? Does the CJI need to respond to Reddy’s letter? Will an inquiry have to be initiated against the Supreme Court judge and the Andhra Pradesh High Court? And what are the possible consequences for all parties concerned?

Andhra CM Writes to CJI With Allegations Against Top SC Judge

But does this mean the CJI will have to automatically order an inquiry into the allegations?

“It is absolutely up to the discretion of the CJI to decide how to proceed at the start under the In-House Procedure,” explains Justice RS Sodhi, a former judge of the Delhi High Court. “He can go into the material provided by the Chief Minister himself, and if it is scandalous and unsubstantiated, then he doesn’t need to take further action, he doesn’t even need to ask the Supreme Court judge in question for their comments.” The In-House Procedure specifically says that when a complaint is received against a judge of the Supreme Court, the CJI is to first examine it themselves, and see if it is “either frivolous or directly related to the merits of a substantive decision in a judicial matter or does not involve any serious complaint of misconduct or impropriety.” If the CJI is of the opinion that there is some substance to the allegations, then they have to ask for the response of the judge concerned.

Andhra CM Jagan’s Allegations to CJI Against Top SC Judge: What Happens Now?

What do you do when the head of a state government goes to war against the state judiciary?

This would have been a tricky enough problem for Chief Justice of India SA Bobde to deal with, but unfortunately, the situation he is facing is even graver – as one of the senior-most judges of the Supreme Court has also been dragged into the quagmire.

The problem in question is, of course, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister YS Jagan Mohan Reddy’s allegations of a “nexus” between the senior Supreme Court judge, former CM Chandrababu Naidu and judges of the Andhra Pradesh High Court.

The Andhra CM detailed his allegations in a letter to the CJI dated 6 October, which he released to the press four days later. In it, he claims that the Supreme Court judge “has been influencing the sittings of the high court including the roster of a few Honourable Judges” in connection with Naidu’s Telugu Desam Party.

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Jagan’s Allegations to CJI Against Top SC Judge: What Happens Now?

From the Supreme Court’s ‘In-House Procedure’ to contempt proceedings against the Andhra CM, here are the options.

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Topics: Supreme Court Jagan Mohan Reddy justice ramana