HYDERABAD: Dealing with a writ petition seeking an ACB probe into the illgotten and disproportionate assets allegedly acquired by four junior civil judges in East Godavari district, a division bench of the High Court comprising justice Goda Raghuram and justice N.Ravi Shankar has granted four weeks' time to the respondents to file a counter affidavit, and posted the case to March 5 for hearing.
A Venkata Gurunath, an advocate and petitioner, sought the court's direction to the High Court's registrar-general, registrar (vigilance), registrar (judicial) and principal district judge of East Godavari to conduct a detailed and comprehensive inquiry into misconduct of four respondents while working as judicial officers at Prathipadu in East Godavari district.
The petitioner also sought the court's direction to the AntiCorruption Bureau (12th respondent) to investigate the illgotten and disproportionate assets allegedly acquired by the junior civil judges concerned and also to direct one of them not to harass him by misusing his judicial powers and through police, including issuance of nonbailable warrants pending before him despite missing of court records. The court should also direct the respondent to trace out the missing court records relating to 181 cases.