SC Split: Chandra Babu’s Quash Plea Goes To CJI

After a wait of two months, the Supreme Court of India delivered the verdict on the quash petition that was filed by TDP boss Chandra Babu Naidu to dispose off the cases that the Andhra Pradesh CID filed against him by breaking the Section 17A regulation.

The two judges who chaired the bench were Justice Anirudha Bose and Justice Bela Trivedi. Unexpectedly, the two judges had polar opinions on the case with Justice Bose feeling 17A is applicable in the case and Justice Trivedi saying 17A is not applicable.

With this split decision, the final verdict isn’t be a concrete one. As a result, the case has been referred to the Chief Justice of India and he will have to dictate terms from here on . The CJI is likely to commission a 3 or a 5 judge bench for the case.

What can be understood is that the judgment on the quash petition will not be delivered in the foreseeable future. There will be a further delay as the new bench will verify the facts all over again and listen to the arguments from both the counsels.