Marching orders for 10

By Suman K. Shrivastava

Ranchi, May 28: The state government has decided to terminate the services of 10 judicial officers of various ranks through compulsory retirement on the recommendation of Jharkhand High Court for their "doubtful integrity and inefficiency".

Chief minister Arjun Munda today approved the high court's recommendation in anticipation of cabinet approval. The officials facing compulsory retirement will receive three months' salary in lieu of prior notice.

This is the second time that the high court has embarked on a major "cleansing exercise" since coming into existence in 2000. Around 25 judicial officers were given marching orders in 2002. Thereafter, two to four officers have been axed annually over the years.

Last year, the government terminated four judicial officers.

Those facing termination now are principal judge of the family court in Dumka Mahesh Prasad Sinha, additional law adviser Indradev Mishra, civil judge, Ranchi, Murari Prasad Singh, secretary, District Legal Services Authority (DLSA) in Jamshedpur, Brijesh Bahadur Singh, special secretary, cabinet (vigilance) department, Pradeep Kumar Singh, chief judicial magistrate of Seraikela Kharsawan Indrasan Yadav, district and additional sessions judge of Giridih Nirmal Kumar Agarwal, secretary of DLSA in Sahebganj Ashok Kumar, additional chief judicial magistrate of Godda Sayed Mohammad Wasim, and subdivisional judicial magistrate, Deoghar (Madhupur), Radha Bhatnagar.

According to sources, the high court move was prompted by a letter from the Chief Justice of India in 2010, prompting an exercise of screening and weeding out deadwood as recommended by the Shetty Commission, which was implemented in the state in 2006. The recommendations guide the pay, perks and service conditions of judicial officials.

The Shetty Commission recommendations stipulate that judicial officers have to undergo three layers of screening after they attain the age of 50, every year. The first level of screening will be done annually for those between the ages of 50 and 55, the second level for those aged 55 to 58 and third for 58 to 60 years.

Jharkhand Service Rules section 74 (B) also states that any judicial official can be compulsorily retired on reaching 50 years of age or after completing 20 years of service if their service record is not up to the mark.

Around 130 of 410 judicial official across all ranks ' from magistrates to district judges ' fell under the bracket of 50 to 55 years when the high court began the exercise after constituting a committee of three judges in January this year. The high court sent the recommendations to the state government on May 17.

Sources said the disturbing feature was that some of the officers had faced serious charges from the very beginning of their service as was evident from their files and yet they continued in office.

Meanwhile, the chief minister also approved the transfer of two judicial officers ' additional judicial commissioner (CBI court), Ranchi, Dinesh Chandra Rai, who has been transferred to Bokaro as family court principal judge and civil judge Ranchi Satya Prakash, who has been transferred as deputy registrar, Jhalsa.

The above is from mu Yahoo mail.

I would say this is a very good job done.

The judiciary is the fountainhead of justice and unless the judiciary is steeped to be incorruptible, how can the other be free of corruption.

I have from personal experience in Bihar and Jharkhand know that the lower courts are steeped in corruption in these two states. I cannot say for the other sates, as I have no experience there.

In these two states, even to move a file in front on the judge or magistrate, you have to pay a bribe to the peshkar. The peshkar shares the money with everybody.

If this cleansing helps to stop the rot, so be it.

Congratulations to Arjun Munda.

Let us hope he follows Nitish Kumar in ridding Jharkhand of corruption.