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A Supreme Court bench of Justices Chandrachud and Surya Kant today passed an order directing the authorities to take steps for attaching immovable properties of Mukesh Jain, who along with Swami Om, a self-proclaimed godman, had filed a plea challenging the process of appointment of Chief Justice of India.

Court had dismissed the plea in the year 2017 calling it a publicity stunt and had imposed a cost of Rs. 10 lakhs each on the petitioner. The matter was listed today as neither of the parties had deposited the amounts.

When the matter came up for hearing today, Dr.AP Singh, the advocate for Jain, informed the court that Swami Om has died and he has received instruction from Jain, against whom costs were directed to be recovered as arrears of land revenue, has shifted to Cuttack, Orissa. Sigh further informed the court that 4 criminal cases have been registered against Jain.

Court, on hearing the submission of Singh, directed that steps be taken for attaching the immovable property of Jain at Delhi. Court also directed that in the event that Jain is not traced, bailable warrants shall be issued against him.

Court asked the order to be served on Jain through the trial court at Cuttack where Jain currently resides. The matter will now come up for hearing after the court reopens post-summer vacations.

Dismissed the plea, the court had noted that the petitioners had approached the Supreme Court at the last juncture, one working day before the oath of Justice Dipak Mishra as the Chief Justice of India. Court had added that even though the petitioners had raised a concrete legal proposition, and were fully alive of their contentions well before the event was to take place, they chose to move the Supreme Court at the last moment.

Accordingly, Court had held that the petition was a purely motivated publicity stunt that needed to be deprecated in unequivocal terms such as in a manner that persons like the petitioners do not encourage to follow their practice.

Court had described the actions of Jain and Swami Om as “rash, irresponsible and reckless besides being imprudent and thoughtless.” Observing thus, Court had directed the petitioners to pay a cost of Rs. 10 lakhs to the Prime Minister's Relief Fund.

When the matter came up for hearing today, Dr.AP Singh, the advocate for Jain, informed the court that Swami Om has died and he has received instruction from Jain, against whom costs were directed to be recovered as arrears of land revenue, has shifted to Cuttack, Orissa. Sigh further informed the court that 4 criminal cases have been registered against Jain.

Court, on hearing the submission of Singh, directed that steps be taken for attaching the immovable property of Jain at Delhi. Court also directed that in the event that Jain is not traced, bailable warrants shall be issued against him.

Court asked the order to be served on Jain through the trial court at Cuttack where Jain currently resides. The matter will now come up for hearing after the court reopens post-summer vacations.

Case title: Swamy Om Ji Vs Union of India