Thaindian News

New Delhi, Nov 19 (IANS) The Supreme Court Friday declined a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) plea seeking the transfer of trial in the Provident Fund case from Ghaziabad to outside Uttar Pradesh.

The investigating agency wanted the trial transferred to Delhi on the grounds that many of the accused judges were colleagues of the trial court judge.

The apex court bench of Justice D.K. Jain, Justice V.S. Sirpurkar and
Justice G.S. Singhvi said that even if the accused judges were former colleagues of the judge presiding over the Special CBI court, it could not accept the premise that trial would not be impartial.

While asking the trial court to conduct the proceedings expeditiously, the judgment said the CBI’s grievance in seeking the transfer of trial was misplaced.

During the earlier hearing of the case Oct 28, Attorney General G.E. Vahanvati told the court that the Provident Fund scam was the first of its kind and had shaken the confidence of the public in judiciary.

He said the judge going to hold the trial had either already worked with or under the accused or was likely to work with them in future.

“The paramount principle to meet the ends of justice is that justice should not only be done but must appear to have been done,” Vahanvati had argued.

The CBI has named 24 judicial officers in the Provident Fund case. Three of them are Allahabad High Court judges.