CJI age document: CBI probe ordered

By Our Legal Correspondent

NEW DELHI, NOV. 27. The Supreme Court today ordered a Central Bureau of Investigation probe to establish the authenticity of the document purported to have been sent by the General Council of the Bar, London, on September 4 under the name of S. Behr to Sohal and Co., regarding the age of the Chief Justice of India, Dr. A.S. Anand. (This document, giving the year of birth of the CJI as 1934, finds a place in Mr. Ram Jethmalani's book released recently).

Observing that it was ``prima facie not a genuine document'', a Bench, comprising Mr. Justice K.T. Thomas and Mr. Justice R.P. Sethi, passed this order during the hearing of suo motu contempt proceedings initiated against a Chennai-based advocate, Mr. S.K. Sundaram, for sending a telegram to the CJI asking him to step down.

The court, while asking the CBI to file a final report within three months, made it clear that the CBI shall not go into the question of the age of the CJI, whose age was determined by the (then) President of India even while the CJI was a judge of the Madras High Court.

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