Recently, the Supreme Court of India refused to overturn an order from the Allahabad High Court that had mandated the premature compulsory retirement of a judicial officer in Uttar Pradesh due to an unfavorable service record.
A division bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti mention that judicial officers are held to elevated standards and are expected to consistently uphold those standards.
"The [Allahabad] High Court order does not call for any interference. We have to judge judges by a higher standard. No merit in the appeal. Dismissed," the Court ordered.
In March 2017, Singh was appointed Secretary of the Mahoba District Legal Services Authority but later requested a transfer due to health issues. That year, the District Judge included adverse remarks about his integrity in his Annual Confidential Report, prompting further departmental proceedings and a suspension in April 2019, followed by a chargesheet in July. Singh was again exonerated in July 2020.
In September 2020, Singh submitted a representation challenging the adverse remarks from the Mahoba District Judge. The High Court’s Administrative Committee rated his performance as average that year and found no integrity concerns. However, in September 2021, the High Court recommended Singh’s premature retirement, a decision promptly enacted by the State government.
After the High Court dismissed Singh’s plea against this decision, he appealed to the Supreme Court.
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