In a significant legal development, the Supreme Court of India has directed the transfer of a disproportionate assets (DA) case involving retired Allahabad High Court judge Shri Narayan Shukla. The trial, previously pending before a special CBI court in Lucknow, will now be moved to a designated court in Delhi. This consolidation ensures that the proceedings regarding the former judge's alleged financial misconduct are centralized in the national capital, where a separate corruption case against him is already being heard.
The judicial order was issued on October 14 by a bench presided over by Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi. The decision came following a transfer petition filed by Justice (retd) Shukla, who retired from service in July 2020. The legal challenge sought to move the Lucknow proceedings to the Rouse Avenue Court in New Delhi, where the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is currently pursuing a related bribery case against him.
The controversy dates back to 2017, when the retired judge was accused of accepting a bribe to issue a judicial order in favor of the Prasad Institute of Medical Sciences. The institution, located in Lucknow, had been previously barred by the Medical Council of India (MCI) from admitting new students. Subsequent to the allegations, the CBI initiated a probe and filed a charge sheet against Shukla. The trial for this bribery case has been ongoing at the Rouse Avenue court in Delhi.
Separately, the CBI registered a new criminal case in 2023, alleging that Shukla had amassed assets disproportionate to his known sources of income. Investigators estimated these assets to be valued at more than ₹2.5 crore, allegedly acquired during the period between 2014 and 2019. While the investigation for this DA case was centered in Delhi, the initial trial proceedings had been established in Lucknow. Advocate Sanjay Mani Tripathi, representing the retired judge, argued that because the DA case emerged from the same FIR and foundational investigations as the bribery matter, it would be logical to have both trials handled by the same jurisdiction.
During the hearing before the apex court, the CBI did not voice opposition to the transfer. Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Davinder Pal Singh, appearing on behalf of the agency, informed the bench that there would be no procedural difficulty in conducting both trials in Delhi. Consequently, the Supreme Court bench ordered the transfer of the case titled “CBI v. Narayan Shukla & Anr.” from the Court of Special Judge, Anti-Corruption, in West Lucknow to the Court of Special Judge (PC Act) at the Rouse Avenue Court complex in New Delhi.
To facilitate a swifter conclusion to these long-standing matters, the Supreme Court has set clear expectations for the conduct of the trials. The bench directed the former judge and his family members—who are also named in the disproportionate assets case—to provide full cooperation and refrain from requesting unnecessary adjournments. Furthermore, the court instructed the CBI to identify specific official witnesses who could provide testimony via video conferencing, thereby aiming to streamline the judicial process and expedite the hearings.
This transfer signifies a major procedural shift in the accountability proceedings against the former judge. By aligning the venue for both the bribery charges and the disproportionate assets allegations, the Supreme Court has sought to ensure a more cohesive and efficient trial process. As the case moves to the national capital, the focus will now shift to the upcoming proceedings in the Rouse Avenue Court, where both criminal matters will continue to be litigated.
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