Chief justice of Allahabad high court JI Rebello issued two administrative orders in August slitting all PILs into two categories, civil and criminal, and assigning them to two different judges. As a result, the Rs 175 crore Taj Corridor scam, in which UP chief minister Mayawati and her PWD minister Nasimuddin Siddiqui are accused, has been taken away from Justice Pradeep Kant and given to Justice A Mateen. Justice Kant had, in September 2009, sought resumption of the proceedings by issuing notices to Mayawati and Siddiqui, after the CBI closed the case in 2007 on the ground that the governor TV Rajeshwar had denied permission for prosecution.

Two facts have come to notice since then. One, the orders came nine days after chief justice met Mayawati and her confidante Satish Chandra Sharma. Two, earlier attempts to take the case away from Justice Kant had been foiled in February this year when the then acting chief justice Amitava Lala turned down the plea. Don’t forget that in spite of strong evidence of corruption, UP governor had denied permission to the CBI to prosecute Mayawati and Siddiqui in 2007.

In view of these facts, do you think chief justice’s action inspire confidence of people in the judiciary about the corrupt being brought to justice?