The Jharkhand High Court convened regarding the unlawful seizure of former Supreme Court Justice M.Y. Iqbal's property in Ranchi by a land mafia.

The matter was heard before the division bench of Acting Chief Justice S Chandrashekhar and Justice Navneet Kumar. Expressing dissatisfaction with the response provided by the state government, the court instructed them to rectify the deficiencies.

The government must present a thorough, point-by-point response during the next hearing scheduled for May 16 and address the concerns raised by the court friend.

During the hearing, Adv. Atanu Banerjee criticized the state government for its lackluster approach. He pointed out that the government was not functioning as effectively as it should. Banerjee emphasized the need to expedite action against the accused, highlighting the sluggish pace of work. He expressed frustration over the inability to accomplish even routine tasks promptly.

Banerjee noted that, despite six months passing, there has been no visible progress on the ground regarding action against the accused. He highlighted that the number of actions taken against the land mafia, which stood at 73 six months ago, remains unchanged, indicating a lack of advancement in addressing the issue.

Justice Iqbal started his career in Ranchi as an advocate in 1975 practising exclusively in civil side. He was appointed as a Government Pleader in the Ranchi Bench of Patna High Court in 1990. Later, he was appointed as a permanent Judge of the Patna High Court on 9 May, 1996 and then became the Judge of the Jharkhand High Court on 14 November, 2000.

Justice Eqbal, who was also associated with the Jharkhand Legal Services Authority, is the first Judge from Jharkhand to be elevated as a Chief Justice of any High Court in the country.