Justice Dattu v Prashant Bhushan, SC refuses to hear PIL challenging land allotment to HC judges

Justice HL Dattu and Advocate Prashant Bhushan were at loggerheads yesterday in Court room 3 of the Supreme Court as Justice Dattu refused to hear a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) filed by NGO Centre for PIL (Petitioner) challenging land allotment made to the judges of Orissa and Gujarat High Courts..The PIL had initially come up before a Bench headed by Justice Patnaik, who had recused from the case, citing conflict of interest..When the matter came up for hearing yesterday before a Division Bench comprising Justices Dattu and SA Bobde, Justice Dattu made it clear that the Petitioner should have approached the respective High Courts..This was vehemently opposed by Bhushan who, in strong words, said that the since land had been allotted to the High Court judges, they would not be in a position to decide the matter without bias. He also cited Justice Patnaik’s recusal from the matter on the ground that he knew many judges of the Orissa High Court where he had been a judge..As Dattu remained adamant, Bhushan went on to remark that if the Supreme Court refuses to take up this matter, it would send the message that the apex court was shying away from “taking up contentious issues relating to judges.”.The Court, however, declined to entertain the PIL granting the Petitioner the liberty to approach the respective High Courts..Earlier in the day, Senior Advocate K Radhakrishnan had also persuaded Justice Dattu to hear a matter. Subsequently, while dismissing the matter, Justice Dattu took objection to the fact that Radhakrishnan had raised his voice in the beginning. Radhakrishnan said that he had undergone a surgery to his right ear making it difficult for him to gauge his own decibel levels. The Court was, evidently, not satisfied with this reply..Image of Justice Dattu taken from here.