SC judge recuses from Chandrababu's plea against arrest in Skill case

New Delhi, September 27: Supreme Court judge Justice S.V.N. Bhatti on Wednesday recused himself from hearing a plea filed by TDP supremo and former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandrababu Naidu against his arrest by the CID in connection with the alleged Skill Development Corporation scam case.

“My brother (Justice Bhatti) has some reservations about hearing the matter,” said a division bench headed by Justice Sanjiv Khanna without disclosing any specific reason.

The bench did not accede to list the matter for hearing on Monday and said that it could only list the matter for hearing in the next week commencing from October 3.

It did not give any specific date in the matter after the court was apprised that the matter will be mentioned again before the Chief Justice of India (CJI) D.Y. Chandrachud seeking urgent listing.

Meanwhile, senior advocate Sidharth Luthra, appearing for the TDP chief, went to the courtroom of CJI Chandrachud to mention the plea for urgent hearing by a different bench.

The matter was listed for hearing on Wednesday before a bench comprising Justices Khanna and Bhatti as per the supplementary cause list published on the website of the apex court late on Tuesday.

On Monday, a bench headed by the CJI did not accede to the out-of-turn mentioning made on Naidu’s behalf but asked senior advocate Luthra to mention the matter afresh on Tuesday for directions seeking urgent listing.

Naidu has approached the Supreme Court by filing a special leave petition after a single bench of Justice Sreenivas Reddy of the Andhra Pradesh High Court on September 22 dismissed his petition to quash the FIR registered against him and to set aside his judicial remand.