A criminal case filed by the son of a judge of the Karnataka High Court against two advocates and others alleging “extortion” and “threat” in a property dispute created a new controversy on Wednesday with the Advocates’ Association, Bangalore, unanimously passing a resolution to request the Chief Justice of India (CJI) to transfer Justice K. Sreedhar Rao.
The association also resolved to request the CJI “to take cognisance of the activities of Mr. Rao and hold an in-house inquiry about his affairs.”
Besides, it has been resolved to skip a day’s proceedings before the Division Bench, headed by Mr. Rao on August 12.
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The association holds the judge “responsible for initiating criminal action against the advocates”.
Mr. Rao was not available for comments.
The resolutions were passed in a special general body meeting after one of the accused-advocates, K.B. Shivakumar, sent a copy of the letter, which he had reportedly written to the Chief Justice of the High Court, to the association denying allegations and narrating the background of the dispute related to a two-acre property owned by judge’s son, Phaniraj Kashyap, and also claiming that the judge had called an advocate, connected to the property dispute, to his chamber in the High Court for discussion.
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In his complaint, Mr. Phaniraj claimed that Mr. Shivakumar and others in a “proposed” writ petition had made “wild allegations against his father that he [the judge] had influenced the Deputy Commissioner” for passing a favourable order in connection with the claims made by the original land owners on the property purchased by him.