Even as Chief Justice of India (CJI) JS Khehar has recommended the name of senior-most Supreme Court judge Justice Dipak Mishra as his successor, the International Council of Jurists (ICJ) has sought an in-house probe against Justice Mishra for alleged irregularities.
Since the CJI has already recommended Justice Mishra's name as his successor despite the charges against him, ICJ plans to approach the President and the Prime Minister seeking their intervention.
Lok Sabha MP Harinder Singh Khalsa has also written a letter to the Prime Minister's Office expressing his concern over the CJI's recommendation of Justice Misra.
"I feel very strongly about what is going on at the moment. Allegations of impropriety and the incident with Justice CS Karnan prompted me to write to the Prime Minister," Khalsa told DNA.
In his letter, Khalsa referred to late Arunachal Chief Minister Kalikho Pul's suicide letter which accused several judges of the higher judiciary of corruption. Khalsa wrote: "The people of this country who certainly expect the next CJI to be not merely a Caeser's wife above suspicion but a judicial statesman, a tall figure whose integrity and probity is beyond doubt."
As first reported by DNA, an in-house probe headed by Punjab and Haryana High Court Chief Justice SJ Vazifdar and two other Hgh Court judges against two Orissa High Court judges was abruptly stopped when the name of a sitting Supreme Court Justice cropped up. The committee wrote to CJI Khehar and stated that it could not conduct any enquiry against a sitting Supreme Court judge.
The ICJ wrote a letter to CJI Khehar on July 24 and sought an internal probe against Justice Misra since its own enquiries had "revealed that the Supreme Court judge in question is Justice Dipak Misra, who is the senior-most after the CJI."
"We seek your indulgence to immediately appoint an in-house committee consisting of Judges of Supreme Court of India to look into the allegations against Mr Justice Dipak Misra, Judge, Supreme Court of India, to ensure transparency in the functioning and independence of Indian judiciary," the letter sent by ICJ president Adish Aggarwala reads.
The ICJ letter also refers to a September 2016 complaint filed by one Jayanta Kumar Das, alleging that Justice Misra was involved in the illegal transfer of large tracts of government land in Bidanasi and other areas of Cuttack when he was a lawyer. According to ICJ Aggarwala, Justice Misra was allotted land in 1979 when he was an advocate there and there is a court order with adverse remarks in the matter pertaining to the land.
"Your Lordship, since institutional integrity is involved in the whole episode and that the allegations are against a sitting apex court judge, who may be considered for appointment as next Chief Justice of India, it is incumbent on you to clear the doubts in the minds of the public and lawyers about your successor," the letter says.
It also points out that when allegations of impropriety were made against Justice Soumitra Sen of the Calcutta High Court, "allegations, which were much less serious than those against Mr. Justice Dipak Mishra, the then CJI immediately constituted an in-house committee to look into the allegations against him".
"Once the veracity of allegations against him (as an advocate) was established, the then CJI recommended his impeachment. Unless a similar procedure of enquiry is followed in case of Mr Justice Dipak Misra, the high name of Indian judiciary may be smirked," it says.
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 "Chief Justice of India JS Khehar")
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