The Supreme Court will today continue hearing in the suo motu PIL filed over the mounting concerns about the dangers faced by the subordinate judiciary, especially trial judges, in the line of duty.
Earlier on August 6, the apex court had come down heavily on the Intelligence Bureau and the CBI for “not helping the judiciary at all”. The Court had issued notice to CBI and listed the matter for hearing on Monday.
“A new trend in this country. If an adverse order is passed, then judiciary is maligned. If judges file a complaint to police or CBI, they do not respond,” the Bench, led by Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and also comprising Justice Surya Kant, had observed.
Advocate General of Jharkhand Rajiv Ranjan had informed the court that the drivers of vehicle which fatally knocked down Judge Uttam Anand, were apprehended on the night of the incident itself. He added that the State Government has transferred the investigation of the case to CBI.
Attorney General of India K.K. Venugopal submitted, “The Judges go through many difficulties during the hearing of high-profile cases, specially high-profile criminal cases.” He further submitted that the Government of India will file its reply within a week.
The apex court had noted that the death of Judge Uttam Anand, who was fatally knocked down by a vehicle while he was out for a morning jog in Dhanbad, had ‘wider ramifications’ on the independence of the judiciary.
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It said it would be focussing on the larger aspects of the case, including the threats and appalling working conditions in which the trial judges function. The Bench said its suo motu case would not interfere in any manner with the inquiry opened by the Jharkhand High Court, specifically into the Judge’s death.
“The Dhanbad case has wider ramifications. We are getting reports that judicial officers are under attack across the country. We want to examine this issue and may seek reports from the States,” the CJI observed. The apex court had directed the Jharkhand government and the state Director General of Police to file their affidavits in a week.