Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma has denied allegations levelled against him by Supreme Court Justice Sandeep Mehta concerning alleged manipulation of case listings and misuse of administrative powers.
Justice Mehta had raised the allegations in letters addressed to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and sought the appointment of a Chief Justice from another State to head the Rajasthan High Court with immediate effect.
Breaking his silence on the controversy, Justice Sharma issued a statement to the media in which he described the allegations as baseless and attributed them to “resentment” on the part of Justice Mehta.
The Acting Chief Justice said he had already placed his position before CJI Surya Kant and refuted the allegations with supporting material. He described the allegations as “baseless, false and factually incorrect”.
The controversy follows allegations by Justice Mehta, who had served as a judge of the Rajasthan High Court before being elevated to the Supreme Court. In communications to the CJI, he is understood to have raised concerns regarding the functioning of the Rajasthan High Court administration, including alleged interference with case listings and misuse of administrative authority.
Justice Mehta also sought immediate intervention and the appointment of a Chief Justice from outside Rajasthan to head the High Court.
Justice Sharma, however, has rejected the allegations and maintained that he has full faith in the judicial system. He said he would personally present his side before the media once he receives approval from the CJI and the appropriate time arrives.
Justice Sharma requested that members of the media, the legal community, and the general public uphold the principles of justice and await the Chief Justice of India’s decision before drawing conclusions.
He urged members of the Bar and media organisations to exercise restraint while the matter remains under consideration by the Chief Justice of India.
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