Medical college Bribery Scam: Supreme Court rejects plea for SIT probe into alleged judicial corruption

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a petition seeking Special Investigation Team probe into an alleged case of bribery in the name of judges, saying such a plea has raised unnecessary doubts over the integrity of judges.

The apex court rejected the petition filed by lawyer Kamini Jaiswal, making it clear that the Central Bureau of Investigation's FIR was not against any judge and neither was it possible to lodge such a complaint against a judge.

However, it did not issue contempt notice against Jaiswal

A bench of Justices R.K. Agrawal, Arun Mishra and A.M. Khanwilkar also deprecated attempts made for recusal of one of the judges in the matter saying it was not proper and tantamounted to “forum shopping.”

"We are on propriety. Can two similar worded petitions, one filed by 'Campaign for Judicial Accountability' and the other advocate Kamini Jaiswal, also a member of the same organisation, be filed? We are serious about this, as it is forum shopping because you wanted the petition to be listed before court number 2," the bench was seen stating earlier.

'Forum shopping' is a practice adopted by litigants to get their cases heard by a particular court for a favorable judgement.

Jaiswal, through senior advocate Shanti Bhushan and Prashant Bhushan, had sought recusal of Justice Khanwilkar from hearing the matter. Khanwilkar had refused to recuse himself.

The bench observed that “the damage has been done to the institution by filing of such a plea and unnecessary doubts were raised on its integrity.”

The petition had claimed that allegations of bribery were levelled for securing settlement of cases relating to medical colleges in which a retired Orissa High Court judge, Ishrat Masroor Quddusi, is also an accused.