Senior Congress leader and Lok Sabha member from Chalakkudi constituency, Benny  Behanan, has sought a detailed inquiry into the inordinate delay in the court registry in listing the SNC Lavlin case in the Supreme Court bench.

In a letter to the Chief Justice of India (CJI) U U Lalit, Behanan has said the Lavlin case (Kasthuri Ranga lyer, etc v/s The State represented by Additional Superintendent of Police CBI and the others), which was filed as an appeal by the CBI in Supreme Court in October 2017, was posted and adjourned for nearly 30 times till 6th April 2021.

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“During this period the case was adjourned at the request of either the Petitioners or the Respondents. From the Revised Office Report which is appended as Annexure 1, it is stated that in view of the letter circulated by the Learned Counsel of the Respondent, the matter stands adjourned to 22nd April 2021. But it is stated that the Learned Counsel of parties assured the Court that no adjournment would be sought on the next occasion,” Behanan states in his letter dated 4.11.2022.

Despite the assurance given by the petitioners and the respondent, the Lavlin case was adjourned for more than 20 times, since 6th April 2021, “and this adjournment after 6th April 2021 happened in the Registry,” he said.

“This would definitely mean that the above-said case which was ready for hearing and wherein Petitioners and the Respondents had clearly told the Hon’ble Supreme Court that the case will not be adjourned, the case was adjourned for nearly 20 times, without coming for consideration of the Bench and this adjournment happened without the knowledge of the Bench but with the knowledge of the Registry,” he further states in the letter.

The Congress leader further says in his letter that in all these instances of adjournment, a date for the hearing was generated by the computer. Even though the date is generated in the computer, it was not brought to the notice or knowledge of the bench and it.

 “This means that this inordinate delay in listing of this case has happened without the knowledge of the Bench but with the understanding of the Registry,” the Congress MP alleged

Stating that the bench headed by  Chief Justice UU Lalit on 1 November asked the Supreme Court Registry to apprise it of the reason for not listing a matter which has been ready to be listed for a year and a half, Benny Behanan has requested the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court to order a detailed inquiry into the delay happened in the Registry of the apex court in posting the case in the bench.