Arnab's arrest: Selective listing of bail plea, says SC Bar panel chief

Supreme Court Bar Association SCBA president Dushyant Dave on Tuesday wrote a letter to secretary general of the top court expressing strong protest on selective listing of journalist Arnab Goswamis interim bail plea in the 2018 case of alleged abetment to suicide of an interior designer before a vacation bench on November 11Goswamis bail petition will be taken up for hearing on Wednesday before a vacation bench of Justices DY Chandrachud and Indira BanerjeeDave clarified that he has nothing personal against Goswami and he is not writing this letter to anyway interfere in with his rights to move the Supreme Court as like all citizens the editorinchief of Republic TV also has right to seek justice from the highest courtThe serious issue here is selective listing of matters that the registry under your leadership is indulging in for last eight months during COVID pandemic While thousands of citizens remain in jails languishing for long periods while their matters filed before the Supreme Court are not getting listed for weeks and months it is to say the least deeply disturbing as to how and why every time Goswami approaches the Supreme Court his matter gets listed instantly Dave said in his letterThe SCBA chief further questioned Is there any special order or direction from the Chief Justice of India and the Master of the Roaster in this regard and added that it is quite well known that such extraordinarily urgent listings of matters cannot and does not take place without specific orders from the Chief JusticeHe said Or is it that as the administrative head you secretary general or the registrar listing is giving special preference to GoswamiDave said that it is on record that time and again he has received requests from various AdvocatesonRecord AORs to the effect that the matters filed by them are not getting listed for weeks and months though very urgent and involving serious issues requiring the courts urgent intervention including bail mattersThey advocates have even complained giving names that certain AORs matters get instant listing while they have to wait in queue for long time he addedI must place on record that in few cases you have kindly helped in getting such matters listed But that is not the issue Issue here is why is this selective listing taking place when system is supposedly computerised and is to work automatically Why is it that despite the same matters are getting circulated and that too before only few benches Why is there no fool proof system to be just and fair to all Citizens and all AORs Dave questionedHe said that even someone like former union minister P Chidambaram could not get similar speed listing and had to spend long months in jail till finally the Supreme Court declares that he deserved to be bailed outSo likes of Goswami gets special treatment while ordinary Indians are made to suffer including Imprisonment which are many times illegal and unauthorised Dave pointed outHe said Goswamis plea against the Bombay High Court order was filed yesterday it got instant diary number though not final and it is listed for tomorrow November 11This is a gross abuse of administrative power whosoever has exercised it on administrative side It gives an impression that clients represented by certain lawyers are getting special treatment which does not speak well of the great institution that the Supreme Court is he saidRequesting that till fool proof system is installed to ensure urgent listing on wellknown principles and till the matters filed by various AORs are listed Dave said that the secretary general should not allow Goswamis plea to be heardHe requested the secretary general to place his letter before the bench headed by Justice D Y Chandrachud which is scheduled to take up Goswamis pleaKeep scrolling to read more newsCatch up on all the latest Crime National International and Hatke news here Also download the new midday Android and iOS apps to get latest updates MidDay is now on Telegram Click here to join our channel middayinfomedialtd and stay updated with the latest newsThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever