Probe judge calls AMU lawyer a liar

A retired high court judge who has asked the human resource development ministry to relieve him from conducting a Presidential probe into corruption allegations against Aligarh Muslim University vice chancellor PK Abdul Azis has accused the varsity lawyer of “spinning lies.”

A retired high court judge who has asked the human resource development ministry to relieve him from conducting a Presidential probe into corruption allegations against Aligarh Muslim University vice chancellor PK Abdul Azis has accused the varsity lawyer of “spinning lies.”

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Breaking his silence on a controversy that is vexing the HRD ministry, former Gujarat high court judge justice AN Divecha has written a fresh letter accusing AMU counsel Ejaz Maqbool of lying and misleading him and other stakeholders in the investigations.

As was first reported by HT on December 10, Divecha had written to the HRD ministry requesting that he be relieved from the probe after AMU misled him.

In his latest letter, addressed to Maqbool and sent to the HRD ministry as well, justice Divecha has said: “I am at a loss to comprehend as to what prompted you to spin lies and weave falsehoods… particularly when I have always held you in high esteem.”

Documents show that the AMU registrar cancelled justice Divecha’s tickets for the December 4-6 meeting without consulting either him or justice BA Khan.

But the meeting was held on December 4, and AMU told justice Khan that justice Divecha did not wish to inconvenience himself by coming for the meeting. This led to the postponement of the meeting.

The probe is already delayed by nine months and critics have accused Aligarh Muslim University of deliberately trying to prolong the probe to save the VC, a charge which the university has denied.