Additional Sessions Judge Jitender Walia, under the Punjab and Haryana High Court, had appealed to the Supreme Court against a directive of high court judge Justice Kuldip Singh’s order that she be brought to book for “casual approach” for which she was kept under observation.

On Friday (April 6) the top court bench of Justices Adarsh Kumar Goel and Rohinton Fali Nariman asked the high court to take off the adverse remarks made against the judicial officer in the judgment delivered by high court. The judicial officer has already been reinstated in the office again.

Sending across a strong message of zero tolerance towards casual approach by lower judiciary, the Punjab and Haryana High Court had brought the Additional Sessions Judge’s functioning under its direct scrutiny for the next two years.

Admonishing the Judge for passing a “perverse and illegal” order, the high court, in an unprecedented order, had directed the Registrar (Vigilance) to keep constant watch on the quality of judgments by the judge. The Registrar had been asked to send quarterly report to the administrative or the inspecting high court Judge for the next two years.

Issuing a stern warning to judge Jatinder Walia, Justice Kuldip Singh also directed the forwarding of the order’s copy to her for “future guidance” with a word of caution that the “necessary consequences will follow” in case her casual approach come to the court’s notice again.

—India Legal Bureau