SC stays all proceedings in caste certificate scam

New Delhi: Seeking to resolve a piquant judicial situation, the Supreme Court on Saturday decided to "take charge" and stay all proceedings in a tussle between two benches of the Calcutta High Court over institution of a CBI investigation into alleged irregularities in issuance of caste certificates to candidates aspiring for reserved category seats.

A five-judge bench of the apex court chaired by Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud sat on a holiday to address the dispute where a defiant judge overruled an order of a division bench that had quashed his direction for a CBI probe and asked the central agency to go ahead with the investigation. Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay had accused brother judge Soumen Sen of the division bench of pandering to the interests of West Bengal’s ruling party to overrule his order for a CBI probe.

The apex court, in probably an unprecedented step, taken cognisance of the unpleasant situation on Friday, constituted a five-judge bench, and decided to hold a special sitting today to resolve the issue that understandably caused it great discomfiture. The Supreme Court stayed all proceedings before the Calcutta High Court and execution of the orders issued by the two benches. “We will stay further proceedings. We are issuing notice to the State of West Bengal and the original petitioner before the HC.