Kshitij R Vyas, the former Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court, has sought to withdraw his letter in response to which the Gujarat High Court initiated a PIL regarding allotment of plots to former and sitting judges in posh Sola locality of the city.
"Permit me to withdraw if permissible and/or to ignore the letter dated July 06, 2015 addressed to the acting Chief Justice (Justice V M Sahai who was in charge then)," said Justice (retired) Vyas in a letter written to the High Court two days ago.
The HC had set up a larger bench to hear the case but the Supreme Court stayed the proceedings on August 12.
"When I addressed the letter...Pointing out certain illegalities in the allotment of plots...I did not envisage it will have such wide repercussions," Justice Vyas said.
While it was the court's prerogative to take up a suo motu (on its own) PIL, "the manner in which the proceedings are going on since last two days, like exchange of heated discussion between the Bar and the Bench have made me upset and (forced) to have second thoughts," Vyas's letter said.
"The people and the media are watching this show and passing nasty and uncalled for comments against judiciary, making me feel I should not have ventured to address letter."
Now, any decision, including allotment of plots to retired judges, will be acceptable to him, the letter said.
On August 10, the Gujarat HC issued notices to the state government and 27 judges (including a Supreme Court judge) after converting the letters written by Vyas and another former judge, B J Sethna, into a PIL.
Vyas and Sethna had questioned the manner in which the plots were alloted. But the apex court, two days later, stayed the proceedings.
