Hours before demitting his office on Friday evening, chief justice of India (CJI) N V Ramana has started facing allegation of irregularities by misusing his authority.
According to a report carried by a prominent English website, as many as 65 legal professionals, arbitrators and mediators submitted a representation on August 15 to the Centre stating that Ramana had resorted to irregularities in the setting up of International Arbitration and Mediation Centre (IAMC) at Hyderabad.
The representation claimed that the CJI was promoting the centre and using his official position to solicit business for the centre.
“Justice Ramana has obtained large financial benefits from the government of Telangana amounting to approximately Rs 250 crore, by obtaining 5 acres of land at Hi-Tech city for the centre,” they alleged.
The centre was established under a trust “formed” by Justice Ramana, and that he is also the author of the deed of the public charitable trust, they claimed, adding that Justice Hima Kohli and the recently retired L. Nageswara Rao were trustees.
While the former is a sitting Supreme Court judge, the latter’s last day in office was 7 June.
CJI Ramana had inaugurated the IAMC in December last year in the presence of Telangana Chief Minister K Chandrasekhar Rao at Nanakramguda on the outskirts of Hyderabad.
Through such actions, the petitioners claimed, Justice Ramana has ventured into a “business activity of administering arbitration and mediation for commercial matters by charging a fee, while occupying his position as the Chief Justice of India,” which goes against the Code of Conduct for judges.
