On June 24, Justice A K Pathak of another vacation bench had recused himself due to “personal reasons”. On June 24, Justice A K Pathak of another vacation bench had recused himself due to “personal reasons”.

ANOTHER JUDGE of the Delhi High Court on Monday recused himself from hearing a PIL seeking a court-monitored probe by an SIT into the reported tapping of phones by Essar Group.

Justice V Kameswar Rao, who is heading the vacation bench before which the matter was listed, opted out of hearing the matter, saying his wife is a shareholder in one of the companies against which the petition has been filed. “My wife has some shares and mutual funds in one of the companies. It would be appropriate that I recuse,” said Justice Rao.

The bench, also comprising Justice I S Mehta, listed the PIL by advocate Suren Uppal for July 11. On June 24, Justice A K Pathak of another vacation bench had recused himself due to “personal reasons”.

Watch | Essar Phone Tapping: Centre To Order Police Probe

The Essar Group is reported to have tapped the telephones of several VVIPs between 2001 and 2006. While the HC had directed Uppal to submit tapes of the alleged tapping in a sealed envelope to the MHA, the submission did not take place on Monday.

“Since I am a lawyer, I have been able to pull through this…The CDs and records, I humbly submit, are not safe in my custody,” Uppal told the bench. Justice Rao said in response: “You have to make a request before the Registrar General.”

Watch Video: What’s making news

📣 The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines

For all the latest India News, download Indian Express App.