Relief to Lalu: HC stays Bihar bandh case order

Patna: RJD president Lalu Prasad on Wednesday got relief from the Patna high court when a division bench while hearing stayed the November 30, 2015 order of a single bench in a case related to vandalism during the Bihar bandh called by the RJD on July 27, 2015.
The single bench of Justice Rakesh Kumar had directed police to submit before it the status of investigation into the case and state whether a chargesheet has been submitted or not.
Initiating suo motu proceedings after his movement was restricted due to the bandh, Justice Kumar had said the government failed to provide escort to judges to their workplace which it usually does during bandhs.
The judge had reached the court late by 30 minutes on the day. "When I was on way to the high court, there was a road blockade near the secretariat. When I reached near the Miller High School, another road blockade obstructed traffic movement. But there was no security arrangement on the roads. From Miller school, I had to take Serpentine Road, leading to the delay," he had said and added the administration did not play its role as required by the law during the bandh. While hearing a Letter Patent Appeal, a division bench of acting Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and Justice Samarendra Pratap Singh stayed the single bench order. The matter will again come up for hearing on February 18.
Lower judiciary appointments: A division bench of acting Chief Justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari and Justice Samarendra Pratap Singh on Wednesday directed the HC administration, Biha Public Service Commission (BPSC) and the state government to file their replies within three weeks in a matter related to the examination to be conducted to fill up the vacancies in the lower judiciary.
The division bench was hearing a PIL filed by Veterans Forum for Transparency in Public Life through its counsel Dinu Kumar. Kumar argued almost 355 vacancies in lower judiciary could not be filled due to laxity on the part of the BPSC which was supposed to conduct the examination for it. He pleaded that the high court administration should be asked to conduct the examination.