SC relief to Andhra HC ex-judge V. Eswaraiah
SC rules out need for probe into his phone chat
JUSTICE ESWARAIAH retired in 2013 and is at present the chairman of the state’s higher education regulatory and monitoring commission
In a relief to retired former acting chief justice of Andhra Pradesh high court Justice V. Eswaraiah, the Supreme Court, on Monday, said that there was no need to continue with the inquiry to ascertain the genuineness and authenticity of the conversation between him and the suspended judicial officer, S. Ramakrishna, contained in a pen drive.
Justice Eswaraiah retired in 2013 and is at present the chairman of the state’s higher education regulatory and monitoring commission.
“The object and purpose of directing the enquiry was, thus, to find out the authenticity/genuineness of the conversation contained in the pen drive. The petitioner (Justice Eswaraiah), having filed an affidavit and admitted the conversation dated 20.07.2020 and having also filed the corrected transcript
◗ WHILE ORDERING an inquiry, the high court had described it as a ‘serious conspiracy’ to denigrate and destabilise the judiciary.
of the English translation of the audiotape, we see no reason to allow to continue the enquiry by Justice R.V. Raveendran as directed by the high court by the impugned judgment,” said Justice Ashok Bhushan heading a bench also comprising Justice R. Subhash Reddy in a judgment.
The top court order came on an appeal by Justice Eswaraiah, who had challenged the Andhra Pradesh high court order asking former top court judge Justice R.V. Raveendran to inquire into the authenticity/genuineness of the conversation contained in the pen drive and the third party interest behind the plot.
While ordering an inquiry into the phone conversation between Justice Eswaraiah and Mr Ramakrishna, the high court had described it as a “serious conspiracy” to denigrate and destabilise the judiciary.
Justice Eswaraiah, in an affidavit filed in the Supreme Court while confirming that he had received a call from the suspended district Munsif magistrate S. Ramakrishna and had a conversation about the senior judge of the top court and then with the Chief Justice of the state high court, had said that the conversation that has been brought out may be distorted.