The Allahabad High Court in the case of Jawahar Lal @ Jawahar Lal Jalaj v. UOI, directed the Deputy Legal Advisor, Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), Lucknow Zone to file an affidavit explaining why only one Advocate has been assigned to argue all CBI cases filed in the High Court.
The High Court was informed by Advocate Kazim Ibrahim, the counsel appearing on behalf of the Union of India, that the counsel assigned to argue CBI cases, ASG SB Pandey, was not available to appear before the Court as he was not keeping well. When the High Court asked Advocate Ibrahim to assist the Court on behalf of the CBI instead, he informed that he was not authorised to argue or assist on behalf of the CBI.
Justice Chandra Dhari Singh remarked,
“It is very strange that CBI is keeping only one Advocate to argue the matter and nobody is available to assist the learned A.S.G. The Court has taken very serious view of the matter as nobody is available to assist the court on behalf of the CBI in absence of learned A.S.G. The High Court has, therefore, sought at explanation to be filed by way of affidavit in two weeks’ time as to why only one Advocate is assigned to argue entire cases of CBI filed in the High Court.”
The matter will be further taken up next on September 22.
