Action against District Judge

It is not very common to see a judge subjected to disciplinary action. Yet in what is a rare case, the law ministry has initiated disciplinary action against a district and sessions judge after finding allegation of his misconduct to be true. The accusation against the judge is that he had exempted two accused from a murder case, based not on judicial but, allegedly, other considerations. The law ministry and the Supreme Court deserve compliment for the promptness in taking cognizance of the complaint and initiating proceedings against the said Judge.

That and the action of the government against a lower court judge brings up the question of oversight, of the performance and control, of the lower judiciary, which happens to be in the hands of the government and not the apex court of the country. And in this regard the comments of the Chief Justice in May this year – that if rules of discipline of lower court judges and right to take disciplinary measures against them remain in government hands, then HC will have no controlling power over the lower court – deserve serious consideration of the government. Because without that, the much needed supervision and control will continue to be absent. 

Judiciary is the last resort of the aggrieved. And there is nothing worse than questionable actions and behaviours of those associated with it that causes public confidence in it to sap. And there is nothing better than to see the system punish those that defame it, as we see in this case.