HC says official misused former Chief Justice’s name to stall Nashik temple trust appointments

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has accused one of its own officials of misusing the name of the then Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar to stop the appointment of five trustees to the Shree Saptashrung Nivasini Devi Trust in Nashik, after finding no evidence that the Chief Justice had approved the decision

MUMBAI: The Bombay High Court has accused one of its own officials of misusing the name of the then Chief Justice Shree Chandrashekhar to stop the appointment of five trustees to the Shree Saptashrung Nivasini Devi Trust in Nashik, after finding no evidence that the Chief Justice had approved the decision.

Setting aside the official’s communication that had halted the selection process, a division bench of Justice GS Kulkarni and Justice Dr Neela Gokhale on Thursday described her conduct as “gross impropriety” and said it could also amount to serious misconduct.

The case relates to the appointment of trustees to the Nashik-based temple trust. A selection process, which began in September last year, culminated in five candidates being recommended for appointment following interviews on March 12, 2026.

However, two days later, Anju Shende, the then Special Officer attached to the Chief Justice’s office, sent a communication to the Principal District and Sessions Judge, Nashik, asking that the recommended list be withdrawn. She claimed the decision followed a telephonic conversation with the then Chief Justice, Shree Chandrashekhar, and said the list would remain withdrawn until further orders.

The Nashik court subsequently passed an order on March 14, staying the trustee selection process.

Five participants in the selection process, whose names had been recommended for the appointments, challenged Shende’s communication before the Bombay High Court, arguing that she had no authority to issue such an order.

During the hearing, the bench examined an affidavit filed by Shende on October 22. In it, she claimed that the communication had been drafted on the directions of the then Chief Justice and finalised after being placed before him.

However, the court found no evidence to support her claim. Neither was there any record in the High Court Registry showing that the matter had been placed before the Chief Justice for approval, nor was any official proposal or submission made to him, the court noted.

The bench said it was a clear case of the Special Officer misusing the name of the then Chief Justice to issue the communication.

Expressing strong displeasure, the judges said that working in the Chief Justice’s Secretariat did not give an official the authority to issue illegal communications in his name.

“Such conduct, in our opinion, apart from being gross, also possibly amounts to a serious misconduct on the part of the officer. Merely working with the Secretariat of the Chief Justice would not mean that there is a licence to indulge in issuance of such illegal communication, which even the Chief Justice would otherwise not issue on the administrative side,” the bench observed.

The court said it was particularly concerned that an officer holding a position of trust in the Chief Justice’s office had acted in this manner, effectively using the authority of a high constitutional office without any supporting approval.

Holding that Shende’s communication could not stand, the bench quashed it along with the Nashik Principal District and Sessions Judge’s consequential March 14 order staying the trustee selection process.

The observations also assume significance in the wake of a Maharashtra government resolution dated August 18, which abolished the post of Special Officer attached to the Chief Justice. The post had been created earlier in February this year.