Punjab and Haryana High Court cracks whip on lower judiciary, 2 judges retired

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 2

Cracking the whip to check corruption, indiscipline, complacency and other factors in the subordinate judiciary, the Punjab and Haryana High Court has compulsorily retired two Additional District and Sessions Judges from both Punjab and Haryana.

Its full court, comprising the Chief Justice and other judges, has also approved the initiation of disciplinary proceedings for major penalty against the two District and Sessions Judges and 10 other judicial officers from the two states.

Placing under the scanner the functioning of the judiciary in Punjab, the full court gave its approval to stop two annual increments with cumulative effect against Bathinda Additional Civil Judge Ajay Mittal, while Abohar Magistrate Harpreet Singh was awarded a “recordable warning”.

In all, action is believed to have been taken or proposed to be initiated against 16 judicial officers belonging to the subordinate judiciary of both states. The decisions were taken during the full court meeting held on November 30. This is the second time in less than a year that the High Court under Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha has send out a strong message of zero tolerance amidst the subordinate judiciary. Action was taken or proceedings initiated against 16 judicial officers on December 14, 2020, too. As per information, Nuh Additional District and Sessions Judge Harish Gupta has been retired compulsorily along with Additional District and Sessions Judge Rakesh Kumar. The District and Sessions Judges against whom the initiation of disciplinary proceedings has been approved are Jagdeep Jain from Haryana and Kishore Kumar from Punjab.

In addition to two Sessions Judges, disciplinary proceedings were also approved against two Additional District and Sessions Judges and two Magistrates in Punjab. In Haryana, the proceedings were approved against three Additional District and Sessions Judges, a Chief Judicial Magistrate and two Magistrates.

Zero-tolerance policy

• Two Addl District and Sessions Judges from Punjab and Haryana compulsorily retired
• Initiation of disciplinary proceedings approved against 12 judicial officers, including 2 Dist and Sessions Judges
• Approval to stop two annual increments of Addl Civil Judge, warning to another magistrate

Stern action 2nd time

• This is second time within a year that the HC under Chief Justice Ravi Shanker Jha has sent out a message of zero tolerance on complacency
• Action was taken or proceedings initiated against 16 judicial officers in December last year also