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Bihar judge accused of malpractices asked to retire
Patna high court takes decision in ‘public interest’ after standing committee looking into allegations says Jehanabad district judge Ajay Kumar Srivastava ‘has outlived his utility as a judicial officer’.
In a rare move, the district judge of Jehanabad, Ajay Kumar Srivastava, has been compulsorily retired from service on the directive of Patna high court.
The decision was taken after the full court of HC, comprising all judges and presided over by the chief justice on January 11, approved the recommendations of a seven-member standing committee looking into allegations of “indecent behavior and malpractices” against Srivastava.
The district judge was to retire on June 30, 2018. He had joined the Jehanabad court on February 14, 2012. The action against him came to light late on Monday.
Jehanabad’s additional district judge-1, Omprakash Rai, has been given the additional charge as district judge.
It is after more than two decades that a judge has been compulsorily retired in Bihar.
The standing committee, which met on January 7, deliberated upon the petition jointly filed by the president and the secretary, district bar association (Jehanabad), against Srivastava.
It also considered allegations against Srivastava levelled by Jagdish Sharma, retired stenographer, civil court, Jehanabad.
Upon considering the service records, the allegations and other material, the committee was of the view that “Srivastava has outlived his utility as a judicial officer”.
The committee resolved that Srivastava be, in exercise of powers conferred by relevant rules of the Bihar Service Code, retired from service “in public interest and relieved from all judicial duties”.
The committee noted that in lieu of notice, Srivastava be paid three-month allowance pay and allowance.
The standing committee comprised chief justice RM Doshit, justice Iqbal Ahmed Ansari, justice Navin Sinha, justice Samrendra Pratap Singh, justice Ajay Kumar Tripathi, justice Mihir Kumar Jha and justice Akhilesh Chandra.
Except Chandra, all the judges were present at the January 7 meeting.
