After CJI, Justice Sikri recuses himself from hearing plea against Rao's appointment as interim CBI chief

After Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, Justice A K Sikri, the second senior-most judge in the Supreme Court, on Thursday recused himself from hearing a plea challenging the Centre's decision to appoint M Nageswara Rao as interim CBI director.

Justice Sikri, who had represented CJI Gogoi on the high-powered committee headed by Prime Minister Narendra Modi that controversially removed Alok Verma as CBI director on January 10, did not give any specific reason for withdrawing from hearing the case.

"You understand my position. I can't hear this matter," Justice Sikri said.

Senior advocate Dushyant Dave, representing the petitioner NGO Common Cause, said, "It is becoming very frustrating and it is giving an impression that your lordship does not want to hear this matter. Earlier, the CJI had recused when the matter was listed for hearing. Now your lordship is also recusing from the matter".

"Court is silent. Government is silent. No body is saying anything. Where we will go. This is really frustrating," Dave said.

Justice Sikri then said, "I wish I could hear this matter".

A bench of justices Sikri, S Abdul Nazeer and M R Shah said the matter should be listed for next week before a bench "of which one of us (Justice Sikri) is not a member, after obtaining orders from the Chief Justice of India."