HC admits SC`s appeal on issue of assets declaration of judges

New Delhi, Oct 7 (PTI) The Delhi High Court Wednesday
admitted an appeal filed by the Supreme Court challenging its
order which had held that the office of Chief Justice of India
(CJI) comes within the ambit of Right to Information (RTI) Act
and constituted a special three-judge bench to decide the
issue.

A bench comprising Chief Justice A P Shah and Justice S
Murlidhar fixed November 12 and 13 for deciding the appeal and
directed listing of the matter on those two days.

The court did not pass a stay order on the single judge
bench verdict of September 2 after the Supreme Court did not
press for it.

The High Court had in its September 2 verdict on the
controversial issue held that the CJI was a public authority
and his office came within the purview of the transparency
law.

The judgement was contrary to the stand taken by CJI K G
Balakrishnan who had consistently been maintaining that his
office is beyond the purview of the Right to Information Act.

The apex court had approached the High Court alleging
that the judgement of the single judge bench was "bad in law"
and "deserves to be set aside".

Pointing out 58 "errors" in the 71-page verdict of the
single bench, the appeal filed by the Supreme Court Registry
said, "The analysis of the single judge is essentially wrong
and the conclusions reached by him are unjustified in law and
Constitutional theory." PTI