# CJI says judge-to-judge allegations must follow institutional process 2026-08-26T23:42:38+00:00 | Governance | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Chief Justice of India Surya Kant said allegations raised by Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta against Rajasthan High Court Acting Chief Justice Sanjeev Prakash Sharma will be examined through the institutional process, not in the public domain. The CJI stated no finding can be drawn from the allegations alone and that Justice Sharma must be given a hearing before any conclusion is reached. Justice Mehta wrote three letters in August alleging maladministration, favouritism and misuse of administrative powers by Justice Sharma, and urged the appointment of a permanent Chief Justice from outside Rajasthan. The CJI said the collegium was already working on appointing regular Chief Justices to High Courts. Any decision on Justice Sharma's continuation or transfer will be taken by the competent authority after considering all material and his response. Justice Sharma is set to retire on 26 September. ## Indian Opinion Analysis Both sources carry the CJI's statement verbatim, emphasising institutional process over public adjudication. India Today leads with the CJI's refusal to let complaints be settled via media, framing the controversy as a procedural matter. The Federal leads with the fact that Justice Mehta's letters are being examined, giving slightly more weight to the seriousness of the allegations. Neither outlet questions the CJI's framework or the slow pace of High Court appointments. The difference is subtle: India Today foregrounds the institutional barrier to action, The Federal foregrounds that an examination is underway. What matters now is whether the collegium names a permanent Chief Justice before Justice Sharma retires on 26 September, which would render the dispute moot. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 2 neutral - indiatoday.in (neutral report) Leads with CJI's warning against media adjudication, framing the dispute as procedural rather than substantive - thefederal.com (neutral report) Leads with the fact of examination, slightly more emphasis on the allegations themselves This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-27T09:12:39+00:00. Tags: Justice Sandeep Mehta, Rajasthan High Court, Sanjeev Prakash Sharma, Supreme Court collegium, Surya Kant Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/cji-says-mehtas-allegations-on-rajasthan-hc-judge-will-follow-institutional-process/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/cji-says-mehtas-allegations-on-rajasthan-hc-judge-will-follow-institutional-process/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/