Rais Khan wants recusal of SC Judge for likely hood of bias
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- Current News
- Wednesday, 20 February 2013 00:37
- Published on Wednesday, 20 February 2013 14:37
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Gujarat Global News Network, Ahmedabad
Rais Khan Pathan, former aide of social activist Teesta Setalvad has filed an application in the Supreme Court seeking recusal of Justice Aftab Alam from a bench hearing a matter in which he is accused.
Both Pathan and Setalvad are accused of ‘fabricating’ of evidence in the Naroda Gam case in which 11 people were killed in 2002. In his petition, Rais Khan Pathan has alleged a link between Setalvad’s NGO and the daughter of Justice Alam. He has claimed that both Setalvad’s NGO Citizens for Justice and Peace (CJP) and Justice Alam’s daughter Shahrukh’s NGO Patna Collective are funded by Netherlands-based NGO, HIVOS.
HIVOS had also co-organised a series of papers published in 2010 by “The Promoting Pluralism Knowledge Programme” (PPKP). One paper, “The Idea of Secularism and Supreme Court of India” was authored by Justice Alam. The paper was presented by Justice Alam in London in October 2009.
Pathan has demanded that Justice Alam must withdraw from hearing the case in the “interest of justice” and “dignity of the institution” as the above facts and circumstances created a “reasonable likelihood of bias”. Referring to the article Pathan has said that,“The tone and tenor of the article depicts the strong belief of His Lordships, as regards the victimization of the minority community," he said, while also making reference of his daughter who is associated with PPKP's India initiative and was part of some NGO's working for the riot victims in Gujarat.
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