Supreme Court judge Justice Sandeep Mehta has called for the immediate removal of acting Chief Justice of the Rajasthan high court Sanjeev Prakash Sharma. In a letter to Chief Justice of India Surya Kant, Mehta has accused Sharma of misusing his powers and giving preferential treatment to "rich and influential" litigations. In his letter, accessed by HT, the SC judge has also accused Sharma of corruption, nepotism and favourtism in the high court.
In three letters dated August 2, 10 and 17, Justice Mehta has stated that the Rajasthan HC acting chief has been exercising his powers as master of the roster to selectively move cases to his own bench. He added that he has received several complaints against Justice Sharma's judicial functioning, which “prima facie, raise doubts on his integrity”.
Also Read | ‘Misuse of powers’: SC judge seeks removal of Rajasthan HC acting Chief Justice
Deep Dive
What specific allegations did Justice Mehta make against Justice Sharma in his letters?
Why did Justice Mehta call for Justice Sharma's removal from the Rajasthan High Court?
How did Chief Justice Surya Kant respond to the allegations made by Justice Mehta?
Justice Sharma was appointed a judge of the Rajasthan High Court in November 2016 and transferred to the Patna High Court in January 2022. His request for repatriation to Rajasthan on health grounds was not accepted by the Supreme Court Collegium in March 2023, and instead he was transferred to the Punjab and Haryana High Court. The Collegium then subsequently recommended his repatriation to Rajasthan in May 2025, where he has been serving as the acting chief justice.
What Justice Mehta's letters state
In the letters written by Justice Mehta to the CJI, he has put forth various concerns regarding the functioning of the Rajasthan high court under Justice Sharma. These are -
- Corruption, nepotism, favouritism present in the high court under Justice Sharma
- Cases have been shifted selectively to acting CJ’s bench
- As acting chief, ‘rich and influential’ litigants have been favoured
- Roster powers have been misused
- Judges have also been threatened with transfers if they do not cooperate.
- Justice Sharma has been accused of “vindictive” conduct by fellow judges.
- Institution taking a “seriously skewed” view of Jodhpur Bench
In the letters written by Justice Mehta to the CJI, he has put forth various concerns regarding the functioning of the Rajasthan high court under Justice Sharma. These are -
- Corruption, nepotism, favouritism present in the high court under Justice Sharma
- Cases have been shifted selectively to acting CJ’s bench
- As acting chief, ‘rich and influential’ litigants have been favoured
- Roster powers have been misused
- Judges have also been threatened with transfers if they do not cooperate.
- Justice Sharma has been accused of “vindictive” conduct by fellow judges.
- Institution taking a “seriously skewed” view of Jodhpur Bench
Justice Mehta also slammed the functioning of the high court administration in connection with a three-day international conference in Jaipur from July 31 to August 2.
He claimed that nearly all judges of the high court were nominated to attend the conference, leaving the Jodhpur principal seat without a single functional court for two days.
After stating his various concerns, Mehta has called on the CJI to "appoint a chief justice from another state and transfer Justice Sharma out of Rajasthan." Mehta added that continued inaction against the acting chief would be “against the interest of the institution."