Just a couple of days before his swearing-in ceremony at the Sikkim HC, sources at the Gujarat HC said Justice BJ Sethna put in his papers on Tuesday.
AHMEDABAD: Just a couple of days before his swearing-in ceremony at the Sikkim High Court, sources at the Gujarat High Court said Justice BJ Sethna put in his papers on Tuesday afternoon. Highly-placed sources in the HC said Justice Sethna dashed off a hand-written resignation letter to President APJ Abdul Kalam. It is learnt that he had faxed as well as mailed his resignation through speed post.
When inquired about Justice Sethna’s resignation, the Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court Justice YR Meena said that the communication in this regard was not routed through him. “It’s a matter between him (Justice Sethna) and the President,” he said.
Justice Sethna, however, refused to talk about the issue. When media persons sought his comments, he refused.
Earlier in January, after the spat between Justice Sethna and Justice PB Majumdar was reported to the former Chief Justice of India YK Sabharwal, Justice Sethna had threatened to resign if he was transferred. But ultimately, a collegium at the Supreme Court suggested their transfer out of Gujarat and the President approved it.
Accordingly, Justice Majumdar has been transferred to the Rajasthan High Court, and Justice Sethna was to take oath at the Sikkim High Court on Thursday. The spat between the judges was caused after Justice Sethna passed a stricture against Justice Majumdar’s son, who practises in the Gujarat HC, for accepting a brief when the case was being heard in his father’s court.
Due to retire in 2009, the senior judge had reservations about going to Sikkim. Besides citing health reasons, he also said he could serve better by being in the Gujarat HC. According to him, pendency before the Sikkim High Court is a negligible 600.
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