Misconduct and Behaviour Unbefitting Judicial Officials: Bombay High Court Dismisses Two Lower Court Judges Over Corruption Allegations

Thank you for reading this post, don't forget to subscribe!

The Bombay High Court dismissed two lower court judges over corruption charges, observing their “misconduct and behaviour unbefitting judicial officials.” The disciplinary action followed an internal inquiry that found their conduct violated the integrity expected from members of the judiciary.

The Bombay High Court dismissed two judges from lower courts due to allegations of corruption, citing misconduct and behavior unbefitting judicial officials.

The decision to terminate additional sessions judge Dhananjay Nikam and civil judge Irfan Shaikh followed an investigation by a disciplinary committee.

Nikam faces accusations of bribery, while Shaikh, who oversaw cases related to the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act, is alleged to have engaged in corrupt practices and misappropriated seized narcotics during investigations.

Also Read: Allahabad High Court Grants Bail Over ‘Pakistan Zindabad’ Post: Merely Posting Support for Another Country Won’t Attract Offence Under BNS

A petition against Shaikh is currently pending in the high court.

The high court issued the dismissal order.

The Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) had initiated a case against Nikam, the Satara district and sessions judge, for allegedly soliciting a bribe of Rs 5 lakh in exchange for granting bail in a cheating case.

In January, he sought anticipatory bail from the high court, asserting his innocence and claiming he was wrongfully implicated. The high court denied him pre-arrest bail in March.

According to a complaint by a woman, her father, a civilian defense employee, is in judicial custody for allegedly defrauding someone under the guise of providing a government job.

After a lower court rejected his bail request, the woman submitted a new bail application in the Satara sessions court, which was presided over by Nikam.

Also Read: Karur Stampede | Really Sad, Organisers of the Meeting Fled the Scene’: Madras High Court Slams Vijay & TVK, Orders SIT Probe Into 41-Death Tragedy

The ACB alleges that Kishor Sambhaji Kharat from Mumbai and Anand Mohan Kharat from Satara demanded Rs 5 lakh from the woman at Nikam’s direction in exchange for a favorable ruling.

The agency claims that this bribe demand was substantiated during their investigation conducted from December 3 to December 9, 2024, confirming that Nikam, in collusion with the Kharats, sought the bribe.

The ACB has charged Nikam, the Kharats, and an unidentified individual under the Prevention of Corruption Act.

FOLLOW US FOR MORE LEGAL UPDATES ON YOUTUBE