Bombay HC sacks two lower court judges for misconduct

Mumbai, Oct 4 (PTI) The Bombay High Court has dismissed two lower court judges accused of corruption for misconduct and behaviour unbecoming of officials of the judiciary.

The decision to dismiss additional sessions judge Dhananjay Nikam and civil judge Irfan Shaikh was taken following an inquiry by a disciplinary committee.

While Nikam has been accused of bribery, Shaikh, who presided over cases under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, allegedly indulged in corruption and misappropriated narcotic substances seized during investigations.

A petition filed in the high court against Shaikh is still pending.

The high court ordered their dismissal on Friday.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had registered a case against Nikam, Satara district and sessions judge, for allegedly demanding a bribe of Rs 5 lakh to grant bail in a cheating case.

In January, he approached the high court seeking anticipatory bail, claiming that he was innocent and had been implicated in the case.

The high court denied him pre-arrest bail in March.

As per the complaint lodged by a woman, her father, a civilian defence employee, is in judicial custody for allegedly cheating someone under the pretext of offering a government job.

After a lower court denied his bail, the woman filed a fresh bail application in the Satara sessions court, and Nikam heard the plea.

The ACB has alleged that one Kishor Sambhaji Kharat from Mumbai and Anand Mohan Kharat from Satara demanded Rs 5 lakh from the woman at Nikam's behest for a favourable order.

The probe agency claimed that the bribe demand was verified during their investigation between December 3 and 9, 2024, confirming that Nikam, in collusion with the Kharats, sought the bribe.

The ACB has booked Nikam, the Kharats, and an unidentified individual under the Prevention of Corruption Act. PTI SP ARU