The Supreme Court is scheduled to hear questions about Lockpal’s jurisdiction when reviewing the judge’s complaint

The complaints and related materials received in its registry as directed by its order will be forwarded to the Office of the Chief Justice of India for his consideration. File | Image source: ANI

The Supreme Court decided on Wednesday (April 30, 2025) to hear the order against anti-corruption pleadministrator Lokpal in July to review complaints against high court judges.

Justice Br Gavai, responsible for the special judges composed of judges Surya Kant and Abhay S. Oka, told the convened lawyers in the Suo Motu case that it was implicated in whether Lokpal had jurisdiction over whether the corruption complaints of HC judges had jurisdiction, and another seat must hear the case.

Justice Oka explained to senior advocate Kapil Sibal and Deputy Attorney General Tushar Mehta on the special bench with Justice Surya Kant, “This is something CJI can decide” and asked the current bench not to continue hearing the Suo Motu case.

Judge Gawai was appointed the 52nd Chief Justice on May 14. Judge Gawai, currently the designated chief justice in India, told the lawyers that the lawyer lawyer case will be presented in July after Apex Court reopens the summer holiday.

The Supreme Court is handling the SUO MOTU lawsuit initiated by Lokpal on January 27 against two complaints filed by the High Court’s additional judge.

The complaint said the judge affected another district judge in the state, as well as a judge in the High Court, who planned to handle lawsuits filed by a private company against the complainant in support of the company.

The private company was allegedly a client of the High Court judges earlier, when he was an advocate of the Bar Association.

The Supreme Court retained Lokpal’s order on February 20, calling it “a very, very disturbing thing” and focusing on the independence of the judiciary.

It then issued a notice and sought responses from the Centre, Lokpal registrar and complainant.

The Supreme Court, when hearing the matter on March 18, said it would review questions about Lockpall’s jurisdiction to entertain complaints against high court judges.

It asked senior advocate Ranjit Kumar to assist it on this issue in a matching a friend of the court.

Deputy Attorney General Tushar Mehta appeared at the centre and said that the High Court judges would never fall within the scope of the Lokpal and Lokayuktas Act 2013.

The complaints and related materials received in its registry as directed by its order will be forwarded to the Office of the Chief Justice of India for his consideration.

“Waiting for guidance from the Chief Justice of India, taking these complaints into account, temporarily delaying it to today’s four weeks, remember that the statutory time frame is under section 20(4) of the 2013 Act.”

Lokpal added: “We are very clear that by this order, we ultimately decided a single question – it is certain whether the High Court judges established by the Parliamentary Act fall within the scope of Article 14 of the 2013 Act. No more. In this, we have not studied or reviewed the merits of the allegations.”

The order states that the High Court judges would not be “too naive” within the scope of expression of “anyone” in Section 14(1) of the 2013 Act.

(with PTI input)