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Justice Vishwanathan recused himself from hearing the coal scam case; Know why he took the decision
Coal scam: Justice Vishwanathan said that he was in the case of Common Cause (NGO which filed PIL in coal scam cases). This case was of ED (Enforcement Directorate), but still, he wants to recuse himself from the hearing.
Justice KV Vishwanathan in the Supreme Court recused himself from hearing the coal scam case. He said that he has already appeared in one of these cases as a lawyer, so he will not participate in the hearing. These petitions have sought amendment in the Supreme Court decisions preventing the High Court from hearing appeals against the orders of the trial court passed in criminal cases related to illegal coal block allocation.
As soon as the hearing of the bench of Chief Justice of India Justice Sanjeev Khanna, Justice Sanjay Kumar, and Justice Vishwanathan started, Justice Vishwanathan said that he was in the case of Common Cause (NGO which filed PIL in coal scam cases). This case was of ED (Enforcement Directorate), but still, they want to recuse themselves from the hearing. After this, the CJI said that now a new bench will be constituted in the week starting from February 10.
The apex court had passed two orders in 2014 and 2017 to prevent the accused from going to the High Court, directing that appeals against the trial court proceedings in coal scam cases can only be filed in the apex court. These orders were passed to expedite the trial process with an aim to stop delay and continue with the proceedings without the accused seeking any relief in High Court.
