Judge fined for smoking in bar room

The Bombay High Court has upheld the decision of a five-judge disciplinary committee censuring a civil judge for puffing away in the bar room with lawyers and reporting late to court.

The Bombay High Court has upheld the decision of a five-judge disciplinary committee censuring a civil judge for puffing away in the bar room with lawyers and reporting late to court.

HT Image

Hearing a petition filed by the judge, the court, on September 23, held that the penalty imposed was “minor and fully justified”.

SB Kulkarni, currently presiding over a Buldana civil court, was “censured” in February by the HC committee.

The committee found him not only puffing away in court premises but also for reporting late to the court.

“There is material to hold that the judge occupies seat on the dias for a limited time. He spends much time during working hours in the Diwani room (bar room) with lawyers and smokes in the office. This conduct of the judge is against the judicial discipline”, the inquiry report said.