Gujarat HC judge says he has withdrawn application for housing society

Justice Paresh Upadhyay of the Gujarat High Court today said he had withdrawn his application for membership of Neetibagh Judges' Co-op Housing Society here.
The Society, where several sitting and former judges have plots, has run into a controversy with allegations of breach of norms in the allotment.
"I have withdrawn my application to be a member of the Society....The application might have reached the (state) Revenue Secretary (now)," said Justice Upadhyay, who is a part of the larger bench constituted by the High Court to look into the plot allotment, during the hearing.
The larger bench is hearing a suo motu public interest litigation on the issue.

Another judge of the larger bench, Justice J B Pardiwala, today recused himself from the matter.
In a parallel development, the Supreme Court today stayed the Gujarat High Court's order issuing notices to the sitting and former judges of the High Court and also a sitting judge of the apex court over the allotment of plots to them by the state government in the Society located in posh Sola area here.
On August 10, the HC issued notices to Gujarat government and 27 judges, after converting letters written by two former HC judges K R Vyas and B J Sethna into a public interest litigation.

The letters question the manner in which the plots were alloted, citing alleged irregularities and breach of norms.