On 1 April, Justice K.V. Viswanathan recused from Alchemist Asset Reconstruction Company Private Limited v Raju Chappakal Pappu. The timing of the recusal makes it one of the most unusual in the Supreme Court’s recent history. A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Viswanathan had already completed arguments and reserved judgement in the case on 17 March 2026 (the order reserving it is yet to be uploaded).
Only after the judgement was reserved did it come to Justice Viswanathan’s notice that he had, as a senior advocate, appeared for Alchemist Asset Reconstruction—the appellant. The appearance was in the Corporate Insolvency Resolution Process (CIRP) against the principal borrower (corporate debtor).
The terse Order,…