Lawyer seeks urgent hearing over Delhi police chief appointment

ML Sharma, the petitioner, mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India NV Ramana but the judge asked him to wait.

A lawyer on Friday urged the Supreme Court to urgently hear his contempt plea against Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for the Centre’s decision to appoint Rakesh Asthana as Delhi Police commissioner days before his retirement date.

ML Sharma, who has a penchant for filing PILs, has argued in his plea that Rakesh Asthana’s appointment is contrary to the Supreme Court’s July 3, 2018, judgment in the Prakash Singh case (PTI)

ML Sharma, the petitioner, mentioned the matter before Chief Justice of India NV Ramana but the judge asked him to wait. “Let your petition be numbered first. We will then see,” the CJI told Sharma.

Sharma, who has a penchant for filing PILs, has argued in his plea that Asthana’s appointment is contrary to the Supreme Court’s July 3, 2018, judgment in the Prakash Singh case according to which officers on the verge of their retirement should not be appointed as police chiefs.

The top court had said that officers should have at least six months tenure left for their empanelment for the police chief post