MP judicial officer opposes proposed elevation of judge

{ ALLEGES MISCONDUCT, CASTE-BASED HARASSMENT

- Utkarsh Anand

A Madhya Pradesh woman judicial officer, whose controversial dismissal was overturned by the Supreme Court earlier this year, has urged the top court collegium to reconsider its recent recommendation for elevating a senior district judge to the Madhya Pradesh high court, citing serious allegations of misconduct, caste-based harassment and abuse of authority against him.

In a rare and strongly worded representation addressed to the Chief Justice of India and other companion judges in the collegium, judicial officer Aditi Kumar Sharma called the proposed elevation of district judge Rajesh Kumar Gupta a “gross misjudgment that threatens the credibility of judicial institutions”.

Along with four other judicial officers, Gupta, who is currently working as principal district and sessions judge at Ujiain, was on July 2 recommended by the collegium for appointment in the state high court. He is the senior most in the list of nominees.