Justice Sikri asks govt not to nominate him for post-retirement job

Jan 13 (AZINS) Justice AK Sikri Sunday withdrew his consent to a government offer to nominate him for president/member in the London-based Commonwealth Secretariat Arbitral Tribunal (CSAT).Sources close to the second senior-most judge after the Chief Justice of India told PTI that the consent was withdrawn Sunday evening when the judge wrote to the government."The government had approached him for the assignment last month. He gave his consent. The job required attending two to three hearing per year and came without emoluments," the sources said.

The government is understood to have recommended Supreme Court Judge A K Sikri's name as India's nominee for president/member in the CSAT.

Official sources said nomination of Sikri, who retires on March 6, was made last month following an internal process carried out by the Law Ministry.

Justice Sikri, the second senior-most judge in the apex court after Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, was part of the three-member panel along with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and senior Congress leader Mallikajurn Kharge which decided on removal of Alok Verma from the post of CBI Director.

Sikri's vote proved crucial to remove Verma from his post as Kharge opposed the move strongly while the government was pushing for Verma's sacking. Justice Sikri supported the government.

The External Affairs Ministry communicated to CSAT about India's nomination, the sources said.

There was no reaction from either the Ministry of External Affairs or the Ministry of Law and Justice on it.