SC sets aside Allahabad HC order summoning UP Chief Secretary in Raghvendra Singh matter

The Supreme Court today partly set aside the order passed by the Allahabad High Court summoning the Chief Secretary of Uttar Pradesh in the matter related to the failure of state Advocate General Raghvendra Singh to appear in cases..The matter came up for hearing before the Bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Mohan M Shantanagoudar..The Bench, while setting aside the order of the High Court, observed that the order passed by the High Court summoning the Chief Secretary and directing him to file an affidavit were “unnecessary” and “wholly inappropriate.”.It also accepted the gestures made by the Attorney General KK Venugopal and Supreme Court Bar Association President RS Suri in defence of Singh..Last month, the High Court’s Division Bench of Justices Ramesh Sinha and Rekha Dikshit expressed its displeasure at Singh’s failure to appear in cases despite repeated calls. In reaction, it asked the Chief Minister to look into the matter, and also directed the State’s Chief Secretary to appear before it in person on the next date of hearing in the case. The High Court had noted,.“It was a little bit disturbing for us to note about the said fact that during the Court hours when the assistance of learned Advocate General is required, he is busy in a meeting….”.The Uttar Pradesh government subsequently appealed this order in the Supreme Court, at which point the Court stayed the order and sought the personal presence of Singh to explain his conduct..On the last date of hearing, Singh appeared before a “shell-shocked” Bench of the Court and was asked to mull over his actions. Senior members of the Bar KK Venugopal and RS Suri were on hand to apologize to the Court on behalf of Singh. The Bench then extended the stay on the order and requested the judges of the High Court not to pass any further orders against Singh and the Chief Secretary..And today, the Bench has set aside the part of the High Court’s order that summons the Chief Secretary.