Corruption claims on CJI derogatory, but not initiating contempt proceedings: SC

The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed the allegations made by Kamini Jaiswal and Prashant Bhushan against Chief Justice Dipak Mishra, saying that the claims were 'derogatory and contemptuous'.

However, the apex court said that it would not initiate contempt proceedings in the hope that 'goodwill will prevail'

A three-judge bench dismissed the plea seeking SIT probe into possible role of sitting HC and SC judges calling it “forum shopping” and contempt.

Earlier on Monday, the bench headed by Justice R K Agrawal  questioned Bhushan, appearing for Jaiswal, whether filing of two identically-worded petition was not a matter of propriety and would it not tantamount to forum shopping if it is sought to be listed before a particular bench.

A bench of Justices J Chelameswar and S Abdul Nazeer had ordered on November 9 that the plea should be heard by a five-judge constitution bench of the senior-most judges of the apex court. However, on November 10, in an unprecedented hearing, a five-judge constitution bench headed by CJI Dipak Misra had ruled that "no judge can take up a matter on his own, unless allocated by the chief justice of India, as he is the master of the roster".

Justice Chelameswar, who is the senior-most judge after the CJI, had termed as "disturbing" the allegations levelled in a CBI FIR and ordered setting up a bench of five top judges of the court as a petition by Jaiswal had alleged there were allegations against Justice Misra. The CBI, in its FIR, lodged on September 19, has named several persons, including former Orissa High Court judge Ishrat Masroor Quddusi, as accused in an alleged corruption case.