SC advances to Feb 7 hearing on plea against appointment of L C V Gowri as Madras HC judge

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday reconsidered a plea for urgent hearing of a petition challenging the appointment of lawyer Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri as a judge of the Madras High Court, and advanced the date of hearing to February 7 from February 10.

A bench comprising Chief Justice DY Chandrachud, and Justices PS Narasimha and JB Pardiwala took note of fresh mentioning of the case by senior advocate Raju Ramachandran that now the Centre has notified the appointment of Gowri as an additional judge of the Madras High Court.

"Since we have taken cognisance of the development, we can list it tomorrow morning. We can constitute a bench," the CJI-led bench said when the plea was re-mentioned.

Earlier in the day, the top court had agreed to hear on February 10 the plea challenging the appointment of Gowri.

After the case was first mentioned in the forenoon proceeding, the Centre's notification appointing a total of 11 advocates and two judicial officers as additional judges in the high courts of Allahabad, Karnataka and Madras came in public domain.

One of those appointed to the Madras High Court is advocate Lekshmana Chandra Victoria Gowri, whose reported affiliation to the BJP had triggered a controversy.

The proposal to elevate the woman lawyer, who has been representing the Centre before the Madurai Bench of the Madras High Court, later reportedly became controversial after reports emerged about her alleged affiliation to the BJP.

Some purported statements of the lawyer, allegedly against Muslims and Christians, have surfaced in public domain.