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2. It appears that the present application for recusal was filed on June 23, 2021. Since no caveat has been lodged on behalf of the said respondent, and the election petition has not been heard effectively, I have decided to dispose of this application for recusal without hearing the respondent.

3. When the matter was taken up for hearing on June 24, 2021, the petitioner was present online. Her case was argued by Mr. Abhishek Manu Singhvi, learned senior advocate appearing with Mr. S. N. Mookherjee, learned senior advocate.

12. After placing the application, Mr. Singhvi submitted that my long and close association with the Bharatiya Janata Party prior to my elevation is apparent. The petitioner has challenged the election of the returned candidate who contested the election under the symbol of Bharatiya Janata Party. Mr. Singhvi suggested that there was a conflict of interest in the matter since I had a close, personal, professional, pecuniary and ideological relationship with BJP. Mr. Singhvi urged that justice must not only be done but seen to be done. The recusal application was filed at the earliest possible opportunity, and nothing else had happened that this Bench could not decide the recusal application.

21. Now, I deal with the reprehensive route that has been taken in moving this recusal application.

22. Across the country, the practice is to approach the same Judge for recusal before whom the case is assigned. The petitioner approached the Hon'ble Chief Justice (Acting) on the administrative side on 16th June 2021 by way of writing the letter for reassignment of the case.

23. The election petition was first taken up for hearing on 18 th June 2021, before this Bench, and quite surprisingly, nothing regarding recusal was revealed. No clue was given to me as to the fact that the petitioner had already approached the Hon'ble Acting Chief Justice for reassignment of the petition.

32. The aforesaid chronology of the events that took place on June 18, 2021, clearly suggests that a deliberate and conscious attempt was made to influence my decision before the recusal application was placed before me for judicial consideration on June 24, 2021. The calculated psychological offensives and vilification adopted to seek recusal need to be firmly repulsed, and a cost of Rupees five lakh is imposed upon the petitioner. [See: (2014) 8 SCC 470 (Subrata Roy Sahara -vs- Union of India)].