The Allahabad High Court has transferred 14 judicial officers in Uttar Pradesh, including Sambhal CJM Vibhanshu Sudheer, in a routine administrative reshuffle. The transfer comes shortly after his order directing registration of an FIR against senior police officials over the November 2024 Sambhal violence.
The Allahabad High Court on Tuesday ordered the transfer of 14 judicial officers across Uttar Pradesh as part of its regular administrative reshuffle. One of the most discussed transfers in this list is that of Vibhanshu Sudheer, who was serving as the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Sambhal.
CJM Sudheer has now been posted as Civil Judge (Senior Division) in Sultanpur. His transfer has drawn attention because it comes soon after he passed an order directing the Sambhal police to register a first information report (FIR) against senior police officials in connection with alleged police firing during the Sambhal violence of November 24, 2024.
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Earlier, Sudheer had ordered registration of an FIR against then Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary, the station house officer and other police personnel.
This direction was passed on a petition filed by the father of a local youth who was seriously injured during the violence. The magistrate observed that the allegations disclosed a cognisable offence and therefore directed the police to lodge an FIR and investigate the matter.
Following Sudheer’s transfer, Aditya Singh, who was earlier working as Civil Judge (Senior Division) at Chandausi in Sambhal district, has been appointed as the new Chief Judicial Magistrate of Sambhal.
The transfer order was issued by the Registrar General of the Allahabad High Court and forms part of a routine exercise carried out periodically to reassign judicial officers across districts.
Apart from Sambhal, the reshuffle also affects courts in districts such as Kannauj, Gonda and Sitapur. Several officers have been moved to fast-track courts, special POCSO courts and chief judicial magistrate posts.
However, the timing of Sudheer’s transfer has become a point of local controversy. After his FIR direction, the Sambhal police had indicated that they were considering challenging the magistrate’s order before the high court.
The November 2024 Sambhal violence took place amid tension over a court-ordered survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid in the Kot Garvi area. According to reports, around 700 to 800 unidentified persons allegedly pelted stones at a police team during the survey.
During the violence, an unidentified person reportedly opened fire, causing a police officer to suffer a gunshot injury in the leg. The unrest resulted in the death of four people and left several others injured, leading to continued legal and administrative scrutiny of the incident.
