SC rejects ex-judicial officer's plea against dismissal from service

New Delhi, Sep 26 (PTI) The Supreme Court on Friday dismissed a plea filed by a former judicial officer of Chhattisgarh challenging an order which upheld his dismissal from service in April 2016.

A bench of Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta observed that all kinds of allegations were made in a criminal complaint filed by the petitioner's wife against several persons, including some senior judges of the high court.

"Such persons do not deserve to be in any government service, much less the judicial service," the bench told the counsel appearing for the petitioner.

Observing that everyone was abused in the complaint, the bench asked, "You can abuse anyone under the sky?" "What kind of allegation is this?" the bench said, dismissing his plea.

The petitioner had moved the apex court challenging an August 2024 order of the Chhattisgarh High Court which dismissed his appeal against its single judge order.

The single judge in August 2020 dismissed his petition challenging the April 1, 2016 order passed by the state government by which he was dismissed from service.

The petitioner was initially appointed as a civil judge in December 2005 and was promoted to the post of additional chief judicial magistrate in 2015.

In a meeting of the full court of the high court held in March 2016 on the basis of a report submitted by the registrar general in respect of the criminal complaint case filed by his wife, it was recommended to the state to dismiss him from service in the public interest.

Accepting the recommendation, the state dismissed him from service.

He then moved the high court challenging the dismissal from service.

In its order, the high court's division bench said "from perusal of the materials available on record, it transpires that right from the time the appellant was appointed as a judicial officer, he had a habit of making adverse comments about his colleagues as also of his superiors". PTI ABA ABA KSS KSS