SC upholds compulsory retirement of UP judicial officer
04/07/2025
New Delhi, Jul 3: The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a plea against an order upholding the compulsory retirement of a judicial officer in Uttar Pradesh.
A bench of Justices M M Sundresh and K Vinod Chandran was hearing the officer's plea.
The judicial officer, who was initially appointed as a munsif/civil judge (junior division) in March 2001, was compulsorily retired from service by the state government in November 2021. The officer challenged the state decision in the Allahabad High Court, which dismissed his plea on April 22. The high court observed that a screening committee was constituted to examine the service record of judicial officers in order to "chop the deadwood" and the panel, upon overall evaluation of the service records, recommended the officer's compulsory retirement.
It also noted that the committee's report was placed before the full court which agreed with the panel's recommendation to compulsory retire the officer. The top court told his counsel, "Kindly give some credence to the wisdom of the full court." The petitioner's counsel said the track record of the officer was exemplary. "I (petitioner) am not a deadwood," the counsel said, referring to the officer's promotion.
The bench, however, said, "We are not inclined to interfere with the impugned judgment and order. The special leave petition is, accordingly, dismissed." In its order, the high court noted the officer would have attained the age of superannuation in February 2026.
It also noted that at the time of passing of the order compulsorily retiring him from service, he was posted as a special judge (Scheduled Caste and Scheduled Tribe Prevention of Atrocities Act) at a trial court in Uttar Pradesh.
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