New Delhi: The Lawyers Association for Constitution (LAFC) has written to the Chief Justice of India (CJI), expressing concerns over the manner in which Noida district magistrate Medha Roopam’s petition in the case related to the National Security Act (NSA) case against student activist Akriti Chaudhary.The LAFC has alleged that Roopam’s petition was “specially assigned to a particular bench” despite the prevailing roster, reported LiveLaw.“The case related to the detention under the National Securities Act and under the prevailing roster of sitting judges in the Supreme Court, it clearly did not fall before the court in which the matter was listed. It appears that the matter was specially assigned to a particular bench,” the LAFC said in its open letter to the CJI.“The matter is also significant as the petitioner, who is a public servant also happens to be the daughter of the Chief Election Commissioner of India. The out-of-turn listing of the case has received special treatment and tends to set a wrong precedent,” it added.Earlier, LiveLaw had reported that the petitions were considered on September 23 by a bench comprising Justices Satish Chandra Sharma and N.K. Singh, despite the fact that as per the roster in effect from July 13, they do not have the roster for preventive detention matters.According to the Supreme Court’s July 13 roster, the matters concerning habeas corpus and preventive detention have been assigned only to the first four benches led by CJI Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath, Justice B.V. Nagarathna and Justice M.M. Sundresh respectively, in order of seniority.Moreover, as per the roster, the Noida workers’ protest matters – to which DM Roopam’s petition is related – are being heard by a bench headed by Justice B.V. Nagarathna.The LAFCs open letter also questioned why the audio of the proceedings was muted and media access to the video feed was also blocked.“Hearings in the court are public hearings. This is particularly facilitated by the video conferencing available to lawyers, journalists and litigants at large. The muting of the video conferencing facility in a matter which is important for media and the public as it concerns detention of students under the NSA for participating in a protest in support of workers,” said the open letter.‘Has not enhanced confidence in the judicial process’“We would like to register our protest at the special preferential treatment given to the matter. The treatment given to the matter and its listing is of grave public concern. The special listing before a particular bench has also not enhanced confidence in the judicial process,” it added.On September 21, the Supreme court bench of Justices Sharma and Singh had stayed the Allahabad high court’s order directing that Rs 5 lakh compensation be paid to student activist Chaudhary from the salary of Noida DM Roopam for her detention under the NSA in the aftermath of the protest by Noida workers for a slight hike in their wages.Roopam is, incidentally, the daughter of Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar who himself is in the news today after explosive revelations on how two Election Commissioners formally disagreed with him on multiple occasions in the past 10 months.