2023 (8) TMI 1098 - SCH - Money Laundering

Supreme Court reassigns case due to interview transcript note, High Court to oversee reassignment

The Supreme Court granted permission to file the Special Leave Petitions and directed the reassignment of pending proceedings in a case to another Judge ... Permission to file Special Leave Petition - placement of affidavit and annexures on record - authentication of court transcript - reassignment of judicial proceedings - administrative communication to Registrar GeneralPermission to file Special Leave Petition - Permission to file the Special Leave Petitions was granted. - HELD THAT: - The Court granted leave to institute the Special Leave Petitions and entertained the matters for consideration by permitting the filing of the petitions. [Paras 1]Leave to file the Special Leave Petitions is granted.Placement of affidavit and annexures on record - authentication of court transcript - Affidavit of the Registrar General placing the note, transcript and CD on record was considered and the transcript was noted to have been authenticated by the Interpreting Officer. - HELD THAT: - Pursuant to this Court's earlier order, the affidavit of the Registrar General of the High Court at Calcutta dated 27 April 2023 was placed on the record. The Court considered the note prepared by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay in respect of the transcript and perused the transcript of the interview, which bears authentication by the Interpreting Officer (Original Side) of the Calcutta High Court dated 26 April 2023. The affidavit and annexures were accepted into the record for the purposes of adjudication. [Paras 2]The affidavit and authenticated transcript were placed on the record and considered by the Court.Reassignment of judicial proceedings - administrative communication to Registrar General - Pending proceedings in the High Court at Calcutta were directed to be reassigned to another Judge and consequential administrative steps were ordered; the Special Leave Petitions were disposed of. - HELD THAT: - Having considered the note and authenticated transcript, the Court directed that the Acting Chief Justice of the Calcutta High Court reassign the pending proceedings in the case to another Judge, who would be at liberty to take up related applications. The Court further ordered that a copy of this order be communicated by the Secretary General of this Court to the Registrar General of the Calcutta High Court for placement before the Chief Justice on the administrative side. Pending applications were disposed of and the Special Leave Petitions were accordingly disposed of. [Paras 3, 4, 5, 6]Proceedings to be reassigned to another Judge; order to be communicated to the Registrar General; Special Leave Petitions disposed of; pending applications disposed of.Final Conclusion: Leave to file the Special Leave Petitions was granted; the affidavit and authenticated transcript placed on record were considered; the Calcutta High Court was directed administratively to reassign the pending proceedings to another Judge and to take consequential steps; the Special Leave Petitions and pending applications were disposed of. Issues involved: Reassignment of pending proceedings in a case due to a note prepared by a Judge regarding an interview transcript.Summary:The Supreme Court granted permission to file the Special Leave Petitions. Following an order dated 24 April 2023, an affidavit filed by the Registrar General of the High Court at Calcutta was placed on record. The affidavit mentioned a note prepared by Justice Abhijit Gangopadhyay regarding an interview transcript. The Court considered the note and transcript, which were authenticated by the Interpreting Officer of the High Court. Subsequently, the Court directed the Acting Chief Justice of the High Court at Calcutta to reassign the pending proceedings in the case to another Judge. The reassigned Judge would have the authority to address any related applications. The Special Leave Petitions were disposed of, and a copy of the order was to be communicated to the Registrar General of the High Court for administrative action. Any pending applications were also disposed of as a result of this judgment.