Lawyers write to CJI regarding judge’s conflict of interest

NEW DELHI: A group of 150 lawyers from the Delhi Supreme Court and district courts have written to the Chief Justice of India, Justice DY Chandrachud, alleging a conflict of interest with a high court judge.

Lawyers have criticised Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain for staying Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s bail order. They claimed that Justice Jain’s brother Anurag Jain is an advisor to the Enforcement Directorate (ED), arguing that the latter should have recused himself from hearing the ED’s objection due to “conflict of interest”.

“Justice Sudhir Kumar Jain should have been saved from the proceedings as his real brother is a lawyer of Enforcement Directorate. This clear conflict of interest was never declared by Justice Jain,” the letter read.

They alleged that Justice Jain had allowed the ED’s objection to Kejriwal’s bail to be listed and stayed the bail even before the order was sent, an action they said was “irregular and had raised serious concerns” in the legal fraternity.

In the letter, the lawyers also raised concerns about the “unprecedented practices” in the HC and lower courts, especially in cases involving ED and CBI. They alleged that judges were “delaying bail cases”, undermining justice and constitutional liberty.

“The citizens of the country approach the courts with great hope and trust. It is this trust that must be maintained by the judiciary and the legal community,” they wrote.

The letter mentioned Additional Judge Nyaya Bindu’s June 20 decision to grant bail to Kejriwal, quoting Chief Justice Chandrachud’s statement on the need for quick and bold judgments by trial courts to avoid blocking higher courts.