Date:09/11/2003 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2003/11/09/stories/2003110908200100.htm

Front Page

A daylong wait

By Our Legal Correspondent

Senior advocate, Harish Salve, counsel for five journalists of The Hindu, seeking an appointment with Justice R.C. Lahoti of the Supreme Court in New Delhi on Saturday. — PTI

NEW DELHI NOV. 8. It was a daylong wait for the lawyers to get the writ petition ready for filing it before the Supreme Court as it was a holiday for the Registry. However, special permission was obtained from the Registrar-General to move the petition and the lawyers were asked to present it before a Joint Registrar, R.P. Dua, at his residence in Lodi colony.

The petition was finalised around 6 p.m. and the lawyers reached Mr. Dua's residence thereafter. A large number of journalists from the print and electronic media gathered at the residence to know whether the matter would be taken up immediately or not.

Once the formalities were completed by Mr. Dua around 7.30 p.m., he asked the lawyers and mediapersons to go to Justice Lahoti's residence. Mr. Dua went inside and presented the papers to Mr. Justice Lahoti and came back after 30 minutes. He informed Harish Salve that the matter had been directed to be listed on Monday as the first item before a Bench headed by Justice Y.K. Sabharwal. Mr. Salve's efforts to meet Justice Lahoti proved in vain as the judge had by then retired for dinner.

It was an anxious wait for mediapersons outside the judge's residence for over an hour but finally Mr. Salve said, "we will wait till Monday", and journalists rushed to their offices to despatch the stories.