CJI Ranjan Gogoi approves suspension of Railway Claims Tribunal Judge, RK Mittal

Chief Justice of India (CJI) Ranjan Gogoi has approved the suspension of Railway Claims Tribunal (RCT) judge RK Mittal, reports Indian Express..Mittal is under scanner for involvement in a Rs. 50 crore scam related to compensation claims in Patna. As per the report, file was pending with the office of the previous CJI for months with Gogoi J clearing it this week..The case of corruption against the judge is being investigated by Supreme Court judge, Justice UU Lalit. The scam came to light after an internal investigation by the Principal Bench of the RCT into allegations against the judge including accusations of connivance with a select group of lawyers appearing for victims of railway accidents..The probe found that Mittal had awarded compensation claims amounting to at least Rs. 50 crore to fictitious victims and to the same claimants for the same accidents several times with several lawyers also pocketing money..RCT Chairman Justice (Retd.) K Kannan had written to the Railway Board seeking Mittal’s suspension a few months ago. Mittal was then transferred to the Trivandrum Bench of the RCT from Ranchi..The Railway Board had then sent the file to CJI’s office after taking into account the legal opinion that a sitting judge of a tribunal cannot be suspended without the approval of the CJI.