Prashant Bhushan, an advocate, has written to the Supreme Court's Registrar, objecting to the irregular and flagging it as an 'arbitrary' placement of a batch of cases before a bench led by Justice Bela Trivedi. The lawsuits contest the use of the Unlawful Activities (Prevention) Act, 1967 (UAPA) against journalists and attorneys in connection with their fact-finding report on the Tripura riots.
In a previous hearing on November 29, Bhushan verbally urged that the issue be considered by the competent bench.
The senior advocate has asked the Registry to issue "appropriate" instructions after receiving an order from the CJI to "rectify the error" in listing the aforementioned cases before the next hearing date on January 10, 2024.
The problem of case listing and alleged procedural breaches was also raised in Dushyant Dave's letter to CJI Chandrachud. Dave made a point of, "Matters listed before Court No. 2, 4, 6, 7, amongst others, have been shifted out and listed before other Hon'ble Benches in clear disregard of the Rules." He also raised concern about seniority being overlooked in the process.
The Supreme Court Bar Association has also written to CJI Chandrachud, expressing "full faith and confidence in the neutrality and unprecedented administrative skill" of the Chief Justice. The letter, written by Adish C. Aggarwala, head of the Supreme Court Bar Association, praised the Chief Justice for simplifying administrative concerns since taking office.
"The Bar has full faith and confidence in Your Lordship's neutrality and unprecedented administrative skill, as a result of which the administration of justice will be improved." For the first time in the Supreme Court's history, the last person in line has been granted equal and full access to justice," according to the Times of India.
