Jharkhand Advocate General claims he overheard petitioner's counsel saying case will be "allowed 200%"; seeks recusal of judge

Jharkhand Advocate General (AG) Rajiv Ranjan raised a request for recusal of Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi from a case on the ground that the AG overheard the petitioner's counsel saying after one of the hearings that the matter will be allowed in favour of the petitioner..The judge took exception to the request by AG and proceeded to record the same in his order. "Today, when the matter was taken up, at the outset Mr. Rajiv Ranjan, learned Advocate General submits that after end of the proceeding on August 11, 2021, learned counsel for the petitioner was saying that 200% the matter is going to be allowed. He submits that let this matter go out of list of this Court," the order said.The Court further proceeded to note that when it asked the Advocate General to file an affidavit to that effect, he said that he will not file the affidavit and that what he orally submitted would be sufficient. .The Court was hearing a petition filed by Devanand Oraon, father of deceased woman police officer Rupa Tirkey, who was found hanging at her official police quarters..Assistant Solicitor General Rajiv Sinha, appearing for the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), submitted that the request by the Advocate General amounts to casting aspersions on the Court, and that such tendencies should not be entertained."Mr. Rajiv Sinha, learned A.S.G.I. appearing for the respondent-CBI very fairly submits that this is not the way to address the Court and what has happened today that directly casts aspersion on the majesty of the Court. This should be stopped. This submission has been supported by Mr. R.S. Mazumdar, learned counsel appearing for the intervenor," the Court recorded.The Court categorically stated that merely on such submission of the Advocate General, the Court is not required to recuse from the case as nothing should come in the way of dispensation of justice or discharge of duty as a judge and judicial decision-making..The judge, nevertheless, proceeded to place the matter before the Chief Justice for an administrative decision on listing."The Court only with a view to faith that the common man reposes in the judiciary sending this matter before Hon'ble the Chief Justice on administrative side," the Court ordered.It, therefore, directed the Registry of the Court to place the matter before Chief Justice.[Read Order]