Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi (SP)

New Delhi, Feb 11: Justice Arijit Pasayat, just about three months away from his retirement, withdrew from hearing a petition relating to the Bangalore Mysore Expressway being executed by Nandi Infrstructure Corridor Project (NICE), as former prime minister and JD(S) supremo H D Deve Gowda alleged that he may be biased in favour of NICE. The judge commented that the said insinuation was baffling and termed the same as unfortunate, coming at the fag end of his blemishless career.

In his submission, senior advocate Shanti Bhushan, appearing for Gowda, sought the case to be heard by any other bench, claiming that materials in possession of Gowda indicate that there is likelihood of bias.

The bench headed by Justice Pasayat then referred the matter to the Chief Justice for placing before a bench of which Justice Pasayat is not a member. "With a heavy heart we direct the matter to be listed before any other bench. There is no ground to show that the allegations made are reasonable. The matter is baffling because a senior advocate has presented the application," the bench observed.

Justice Pasayat regretted, that he was being accused of bias by a former prime minister, while in his whole career which will come to an end soon, he had never been accused of showing bias. The bench was hearing a petition filed by NICE, challenging an order of Karnataka High Court(HC) that treated a letter written to the HC judges by Gowda as a Public Interest Litigation and referred the same to the Lokayukta for investigating the allegations levelled therein.

Dushyant Dave, appearing on behalf of NICE, requested for quashing of the impugned HC order.