Take contempt action against Jethmalani, Shah: Centre to SC

The Centre on Wednesday asked the Supreme Court to initiate contempt proceedings against former Gujarat Home Minister Amit Shah and his lawyer Ram Jethmalani for questioning the impartiality of the judge who ordered CBI probe in the Sohrabuddin Sheikh fake encounter case.

Additional Solicitor General Indira Jaising said the allegation of conspiracy among the Judge (Justice Tarun Chatterjee now retired), the Centre and the CBI made by Shah amounts to contempt of court. "The alleged interest of the judge whether personal or otherwise is not only fanciful but the averments to that effect are nothing short of contempt of this court," she said before a bench of Justices Aftab Alam and Ranjana Prakash Desai.

She was referring to the contentions of Shah who alleged that the CBI was used by the Centre and in this conspiracy the possible bias of the judge played a critical role for getting the case transferred to the agency.

Questioning the order of January 12, 2010, senior advocate Jethmalani, appearing for Shah, said that at the time of passing the order the judge was himself under the scrutiny of the CBI in the Ghaziabad Provident Fund scam and he should have at the first instance rescued himself from hearing the fake encounter case.

The Centre, while refuting all the allegations, said that the politician, a close aide of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, has failed to produce any evidence to substantiate the claim.