To be placed before CJI first

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Thursday said that a plea seeking direction to the governments of Maharashtra and Delhi for sacking of arrested ministers Nawab Malik and Satyendar Jain would be listed for hearing after it is placed before Chief Justice N V Ramana.

As Advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay mentioned the plea for urgent listing before a vacation bench of Justices C.T. Ravikumar and Sudhanshu Dhulia, the bench asked: "Did you make a mention (the plea) before the Registrar?..... Every day we are saying 'please make a mention before the registrar and even then, if it is not posted, mention it before us'."

Upadhyay submitted that there is "serious violation" of Article 14 (equality before law) of the Constitution, and added that the Maharashtra minister is in judicial custody for 4 months while the Delhi minister was also in judicial custody for nearly 30 days. "Unfortunately, these ministers are public servants. There`s a serious violation of Article 14," said Upadhyay.

The bench told Upadhyay that he should mention the plea before the Registrar and most probably it will be posted next week.