The 27 judges involved were each given plots of 400 square metres at subsidised rates in Ahemdabad; their market value is believed to be worth crores of rupees.
A day after 27 former and current judges in Gujarat were issued notices for accepting plots of land at a concession from the state government, two High Court judges exited the case after a rare, heated argument in court.
A larger panel of judges will now hear the case.
The government's lawyer, Advocate General Kamal Trivedi, had said that the previous panel should not hear the case as both the judges, including Acting Chief Justice VM Sahai, were 'desirous of plots' themselves.
On Monday, Justice Sahai, acting on a complaint, had asked over two dozen judges and the state government to respond to allegations that there were irregularities in the allotment of plots in prime location in 2008.
As the government lawyer repeatedly questioned whether he should hear the case, Justice Sahai referred it to a larger bench. He strongly refuted allegations made by the Advocate General.
The complaint at the heart of the case is a letter by two former judges, which raised questions of conflict of interest in the allotment of government plots to judges, given that the court hears petitions involving the government all that time.
The 27 judges involved were each given plots of 400 square metres at subsidised rates in Ahemdabad; their market value is believed to be worth crores of rupees.
According to the complaint, the judges paid just Rs 25 lakhs.