Original informant says no grievance against judge, contradicts Hazare, others

“I say that I have no grievance of any nature whatsoever against the special judge..” original informant Surinder Arora in the Maharashtra State Cooperative Bank (MSCB) scam case has said in an application filed on Thursday before the principal judge of the sessions court, contrary to apprehensions of bias by the presiding judge expressed by four protest petitioners including social worker Anna Hazare.

The first plea for transfer of his protest petition from the current court hearing it was made by former MLA Manik Jadhav. The protest petitions are filed against the closure report filed by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in the MSCB scam case which gives a clean chit to many politicians including deputy CM Ajit Pawar. Arora had sought to intervene in the transfer plea of Jadhav, stating that his rights will be affected as he is the original complainant and his protest petition too is being heard by the same court. Thereafter, three other protest petitioners - including Anna Hazare and former MP Shalinitai Patil had filed transfer pleas on the same lines as Jadhav seeking change of court.

On Thursday, Arora, 62, filed an intervention application before the principal judge stating that he has no grievance with the current judge conducting the matter. He added that owing to his age and health he wants his protest petition before that court to be decided expeditiously. He said the decision in this transfer plea of Jadhav will have a direct bearing on his protest petition that is pending before the other court. His application said further he has already filed his final written arguments in the matter before the other court and recused his advocate as he was not following his instructions.

It was this final written argument filed on April 20, through two persons who were not Arora’s advocates. The former MLA had called the judge’s conduct ‘suspicious’ in accepting the arguments on record when the same was objected to by Arora’s then advocate Satish Talekar.

Jadhav had also sought a stay on the proceedings in that court before the principal judge. Responding to this, the EOW in its reply filed on Thursday stated that the transfer application is frivolous and filed with misconception and prejudice against the present judge.