Civil Judge Aditi Kumar Sharma, who quit in protest after accusing a colleague of harassment, has rejoined service following assurance from a High Court panel. She called her earlier resignation “a statement of protest.”
Madhya Pradesh Civil Judge Aditi Kumar Sharma, who had earlier resigned after accusing another judicial officer of harassment, has now withdrawn her resignation and rejoined judicial service.
Her decision to return came after the advice of an internal committee of the Madhya Pradesh High Court which had heard her grievance earlier this month. The committee urged her not to leave judicial service and assured her that her complaints could still be taken forward before proper legal forums.
Sharma, who was posted in Shahdol, Madhya Pradesh, had resigned from her post after the judicial officer she had accused of harassment, District Judge Rajesh Kumar Gupta, was elevated as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
Her resignation was submitted just hours after the Central Government cleared Gupta’s elevation. The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended his name for elevation in early July 2025, the Centre approved it on July 28, and he took oath as a High Court judge on July 30.
In her resignation letter to the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Sharma expressed her anguish and wrote,
“With every ounce of my moral strength and emotional exhaustion, I hereby resign from judicial service not because I lost faith in justice, but because justice lost its way inside the very institution sworn to protect it.”
She further described her step as
“a statement of protest”.
Reports suggest that two other judicial officers had also raised complaints regarding Gupta’s conduct.
Before resigning, Sharma had written to the President of India as well as to the Supreme Court Collegium in July. In her letter, she strongly opposed Gupta’s promotion, saying that
“a person against whom there are serious unresolved allegations must not be rewarded with elevation.”
Following her resignation, the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court formed a two-member committee on August 11 to look into her grievance.
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The committee assured her that her complaints would be dealt with in a
“dignified manner and in accordance with law.”
After this assurance, Sharma decided to withdraw her resignation. She was informed that her right to approach administrative authorities or a judicial forum would not be affected. Finally, she rejoined duty as Civil Judge (Junior Division) on August 20, 2025.
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