Now Reading: Telangana HC reinstates judge, sets aside compulsory retirement
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Telangana HC reinstates judge, sets aside compulsory retirement
The Telangana High Court has set aside the compulsory retirement of a trial court judge, ruling the punishment was unduly harsh and shockingly disproportionate. A division bench of Justices P Sam Koshy…
The Telangana High Court has set aside the compulsory retirement of a trial court judge, ruling the punishment was unduly harsh and shockingly disproportionate. A division bench of Justices P Sam Koshy and Narsing Rao Nandikonda ordered his immediate reinstatement without back wages or consequential benefits.
The judge joined the Andhra Pradesh Judicial Service as a junior civil judge in 2013. The case arose from a March 2014 incident when police stopped his official vehicle at a check post during election screening. The High Court framed six charges, an inquiry officer in 2016 proved two charges of rude conduct towards police but cleared him of four others. The disciplinary authority overrode that clearance and recommended compulsory retirement, which the government enforced in January 2018.
The bench noted the allegations involved no corruption, lack of integrity or dishonest motive, and found no independent material to overturn the exoneration on four charges. It sustained the two proven charges but said the years out of service and denial of back wages are adequate punishment for the misconduct. The court directed his reinstatement to his original post.
Indian Opinion Analysis
The case highlights a recurring tension in the judiciary: a disciplinary authority overturning an inquiry officer's exoneration without independent evidence. Under service rules for judicial officers in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, a disciplinary authority can disagree with an inquiry report, but must record reasons and rely on material on record. Here, the High Court found that missing. For the judge, who was on probation in 2014, the reinstatement restores his career but leaves him without six years of salary and seniority. The outcome may influence how other disciplinary proceedings weigh probation-era conduct against the severity of punishment.
Source: telanganatoday.com
This brief was synthesised by AI from the source linked above.
