NEW DELHI: The SNC Lavalin case has been postponed yet again soon after the withdrawal of Malayali judge C T Ravikumar from the bench. When the case came up for consideration, Justice C T Ravikumar withdrew from the division bench of the apex court saying that he had heard the argument of the same case in the high court. He withdrew after asking whether he should do so. A bench led by justices M R Shah and Malayali C T Ravikumar considered the Lavalin case again today.

A case that could be very crucial for Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and the state government was postponed after considering it yet again today. The case, which was listed as the twenty-first case, is being considered by the court for the thirty-third time. The Supreme Court heard the case again today after a gap of six months. Justice M R Shah, who heads the bench will retire on May 15.

The lawyer of the former joint secretary of the energy department, A Francis, had also sent a letter demanding to postpone the case as he is suffering from fever. The hearing was postponed several times due to lack of facilities of the CBI. CBI’s plea against high court acquitting Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan, former energy secretary K Mohanachandran and former joint secretary A Francis, is before the Supreme Court.

The Supreme Court sent a notice in the case on January 11 in 2018. The case was postponed 32 times in the last five years. M K Aswathy, the lawyer of T P Nandakumar, who is a party in the case, pointed this out. The case was later postponed even after the court directed not to defer it.