The Supreme Court declined to set aside the compulsory retirement of a judge from Uttar Pradesh, emphasizing that judicial officers are held to exceptionally high standards of conduct. The Court highlighted that judges are expected to maintain these standards rigorously, as their role demands unwavering integrity and accountability.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court upheld the Allahabad High Court’s decision to prematurely retire a judicial officer from Uttar Pradesh due to an adverse service record.
A bench comprising Justices Hrishikesh Roy and SVN Bhatti emphasized the elevated standards required for judicial conduct, stating,
“The 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 ruling reinforces the principle that judges must uphold strict ethical standards.
The Bench was reviewing an appeal concerning an August 30 decision by the High Court that dismissed judicial officer Shobh Nath Singh’s challenge to his termination.
Singh had initially approached the High Court to contest the legitimacy of an office memorandum from the State of Uttar Pradesh that mandated his premature retirement, as well as an official letter endorsing this action.
He began his career in the State’s judicial services in 2003 as an Additional Munsif and was promoted to Civil Judge – Senior Division in 2008.
During 2010-2011, he received negative remarks in his Annual Confidential Report, accompanied by oral complaints alleging dishonesty and corruption.
In October 2013, he was suspended, and disciplinary proceedings were initiated against him, although he was later cleared of all charges. He returned to service in February 2014 with full back pay and allowances from his suspension, but the negative remarks remained on his record.
In March 2017, he was appointed Secretary of the Mahoba District Legal Services Authority but requested a transfer later that year due to health issues.
The District Judge subsequently recorded negative comments about his performance in the Annual Confidential Report, questioning his integrity. This led to further departmental proceedings, and he was suspended in April 2019, with a chargesheet issued in July of that year. He was eventually exonerated in July 2020.
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In September 2020, Singh submitted a representation against the negative remarks from the Mahoba District Judge. The Administrative Committee of the High Court found his performance to be average but did not find any issues regarding his integrity.
However, in September 2021, the High Court recommended that the State government terminate his services prematurely, which the government promptly acted upon.
Dissatisfied, Singh appealed to the High Court, which upheld the termination of his plea. This led him to escalate the matter to the Supreme Court.