Andhra HC ex-judge disputes correctness of phone call transcript

Stating that he had spoken over a call with a suspended District Munsif wherein he is alleged to have made enquiries about land dealings by kin of a Supreme Court judge, former Andhra Pradesh High Court judge Justice (retd) V Eswaraiah Monday contended before the Supreme Court that the English transcript of the same filed before the High Court which had ordered an inquiry into the conversation “was incorrect…”.

Eswaraiah’s plea challenging the August 13 order of the High Court — which ordered a probe into the alleged conversation saying the records placed before it contained information that purportedly disclosed a serious conspiracy against the judiciary — came up Monday before a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan which posted it for further hearing in the first week of February.

The SC had earlier asked him to clarify his stand with regard to the purported conversation.

Eswaraiah has alleged in the Supreme Court that relatives of a “senior sitting” apex court judge were involved in “benami transactions” in the Amaravati land scam and he was trying to collect more evidence in this regard.

PTI adds: In his reply affidavit filed in the top court, Justice (retd) Eswaraiah said, “I state that asking for material (if available) regarding the conduct of a sitting judge and which to my knowledge was the subject matter of investigation, cannot by any stretch of imagination be said to be a conspiracy. I state that I did seek information and material from Mr Ramakrishna in that phone conversation with regard to benami transactions involving the CRDA in Andhra Pradesh and the involvement of the relatives of the said Supreme Court judge…”

Eswaraiah said his admission or denial of the conversation with Ramakrishna is “immaterial” in deciding the plea. “I have not committed any crime and there is no complaint by anybody with reference to the said private conversation.”