Judges mustn't yield to lawyers' pressure: Gujarat HC

AHMEDABAD: The Gujarat high court has said that judges yielding to intimidation or pressure from lawyers and recusing themselves from cases only fuels "browbeating, forum shopping, and attempts to influence the bench". Justice Niral Mehta made the remark while quashing two recusals by Ahmedabad benches of National Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) and two subsequent transfer orders by NCLT president in New Delhi that shifted a high-stakes corporate dispute to Mumbai. The case involved ArcelorMittal Nippon Steel India Ltd (AM/NS) and a few creditors of Essar Steel India Ltd, whose resolution plan was approved in 2019. Lawyers representing the creditors allegedly pressured NCLT Ahmedabad-1 to move the matter. On Jan 9, 2024, that bench recused itself. Another bench - Ahmedabad-2 - followed su