New Delhi: The Supreme Court has rejected former Kerala minister Thomas Chandy’s plea seeking a new bench for hearing his backwater encroachment case.
Now, the case will again come up before the bench comprising Justice R.K. Agarwal and Justice Abhay Manohar Sapre on January 11.
Chandy had approached the apex court urging it to quash the Kerala High Court’s order against him.
The former Minister, in his plea before the Supreme Court, said the High Court’s observation that the state cabinet had lost collective responsibility was unfounded.
He also urged the apex court to stay the report submitted by Alappuzha Collector T V Anupama. Chandy said in his plea that he had approached the court as a private litigant.
The Collector’s report had said that the land transactions involving Chandy in Kuttanad violated rules regarding conservation of paddy fields as well as land reforms.
It was also pointed out that Chandy’s deals had sabotaged the broad aims of the Land Reforms Act.
Chandy had approached the High Court seeking cancellation of the Collector’s report, which contained serious charges against him.
However, the court expressed doubts over the validity of the petition and said it was proof that the minister had lost confidence in the Chief Minister and the Cabinet.
The division bench observed that such a situation was unheard of anywhere in the world.
It also wondered whether a government could take action against its own minister.