CHANDIGARH: Punjab and Haryana High Court on Oct7, rejected Haryana Chief Minister Bhajan Lal’s application, seeking transfer of a case pertaining to sales tax assessment of a firm owned by Haryana Vikas Party legislator O.P_ Jindal.
High Court Division Bench comprising Justice S.S.Sodhi and Justice Ashok Bhan fixed the next hearing of the case of messers Jindal Strips for October 13.
In an affidavit filed in the court here on Tuesday, the Chief Minister said “something disturbing has happened which has created a fear or at least a suspicion in my mind that I may not get justice from this court.”
Maintaining that he had “the highest respect for this court and always has full confidence in the judicial system’ as also in the honorable judges of this court,” Bhajan Lal said yet his confidence had been shaken by “a few events.”
He said the above case was fixed at one stage in the court of Justice A.P.Chaudhary and Justice N.K Sodhi for final hearing, being a tax bench. However, Justice S.S.Sodhi, who was then acting as Chief Justice of the High Court for a few days, re= leased the case from the bench which meant that it should: be tried by some other bench, he said, Bhajan Lal said, however, “the case has again been listed for hearing before this very bench and the arguments are continuing.” This, he said, had “created 4 sense of loss of faith” in his mind about the working of the Court in this case, He said he had come to know that some other judges of the High Court had also taken exception to the case being withdrawn from the bench of Justice Chaudhary and Justice
N.K. Sodhi and then being heard by “this very bench.” In this background some of the judges have recorded these exceptions in writing,” he said] Bhajan Lal said under these circumstances he felt that “he may Hot gel Justice from this court.”
Article extracted from this publication >> October 15, 1993
