The then Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court and now Supreme Court Judge Swatanter Kumar had made two trips to Delhi in less than a week just before his elevation to the Supreme Court costing the exchequer Rs 1, 16, 891. This has been revealed in the information furnished by the Bombay High Court under the Right to Information Act.
Whether Justice Swatanter Kumar’s visits to Delhi in October / November 2009 and his meeting in Goa with President Pratibha Patil on November 22nd 2009 was to lobby for his elevation to the Supreme Court is not known. Justice Swatanter Kumar was appointed as Judge of the Supreme Court of India on 18th December 2009 just 12 days before he was due to retire. While High Court judges retire at 62, an elevation to the Supreme Court gives the Judge another three years as the retirement age is 65. The Information furnished under the RTI Act reveals that the then Bombay High Court Chief Justice Swatanter Kumar had traveled to Delhi on 19th November 2009 to meet the then Supreme Court Chief Justice K.G. Balakrishnan and that he had also met Justice S.H. Kapadia on 21st November. He was scheduled to return to Bombay on 23rd Nov. However on 22nd November, Justice Swantanter Kumar flew from Delhi to Goa to attend a reception being hosted at Goa Raj Bhavan in honour of President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil who was on a visit to Goa. Surprisingly on 23rd November Justice Swatanter Kumar flew back to Delhi from Goa by the early morning flight and returned to Mumbai the same day by the late evening flight. It is not known why Justice Swantanter Kumar had traveled to Delhi for the day. The information furnished also does not show that the then Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court had any official work in Delhi. It is however known that the Supreme Court collegium had that same week recommended to the President of India Mrs. Pratibha Patil the elevation of Justice Swatanter Kumar to the Supreme Court. This round trip Mumbai -Delhi- Goa – Delhi – Mumbai of Justice Swatanter Kumar cost the exchequer Rs 1, 16, 891. The documents furnished under the Right to Information further reveal that Justice Swatanter Kumar had also traveled to Delhi the earlier month on 16th October 2009 and was there till 2nd November. The documents show that Justice Swantanter Kumar had attended a conference at Delhi on “National consultation for Strengthening the Judiciary” on 24th and 25th Oct. Justice Swatanter Kumar’s itinerary in Delhi during the rest of that fortnight is not known. Justice Kumar however flew to Goa from Delhi on 2nd November and later proceeded to Mumbai after laying the foundation stone of the North Goa District and Sessions Court building at Merces. This Mumbai- Delhi- Goa – Mumbai trip cost the exchequer Rs 50, 236. Incidentally almost two years after the laying of that foundation stone for the North Goa District Court building not a brick has been laid with the foundation stone itself having long gone missing. The Bombay High Court has also informed under the RTI Act that during his two year tenure as Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court Swatanter Kumar had made 14 official trips to Goa incurring a total travel cost of Rs 4, 43, 577. Aires Rodrigues T1 - B30, Ribandar Retreat Ribandar - Goa - 403006 Mobile: 9822684372
