Rajasthan High Court acting chief justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma has denied all allegations levelled against him by Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta, calling them “baseless” and saying they were made out of “animosity”.
Justice Mehta had also raised concerns over several administrative decisions at the high court, including the functioning of the Jodhpur principal seat and a three-day conference in Jaipur. He alleged that the court’s functioning and administrative decisions under Justice Sharma had raised serious questions about the institution. The allegations surfaced after Justice Mehta, in three letters dated August 2, 10 and 17, urged CJI Surya Kant to appoint a chief justice from another high court to head the Rajasthan High Court and sought Justice Sharma’s transfer out of Rajasthan.
His response comes days after CJI Surya Kant said allegations against a sitting judge cannot be treated as findings without due process. The CJI had said the matter was being examined through the appropriate institutional mechanism and that Justice Sharma must be given a fair opportunity to respond. “The fact that allegations have been made cannot by itself be treated as a finding against the judge,” CJI Kant had said, according to Hindustan Times.
The dispute has unfolded as the Rajasthan High Court has remained without a permanent chief justice, with Justice Sharma serving as acting chief justice. The recommendation came amid protests by lawyers in Jaipur and Jodhpur seeking the appointment of a regular chief justice. On September 1, the Supreme Court collegium recommended Chhattisgarh High Court judge Justice Sanjay Kumar Agrawal as the next chief justice of the Rajasthan High Court.
