The Supreme Court on Monday (October 21, 2024) expressed concern over the way of thinking of judges of various High Courts of the country and termed it an attempt to tarnish the image of the judiciary. The bench of Justice Dipankar Dutta and Justice PK Mishra said that this is a worrying trend. The court expressed surprise that its repeated statements have no effect on the judges of the High Court, and its decisions are continuously ignored.
The court said that the result of this is that despite the working of the High Court judges in adverse circumstances, the judicial system is being brought into disrepute because of some judges. Such people are presenting a bad image of the entire judiciary.
The bench said, 'In recent times, on more than one occasion, this Court has initiated suo motu proceedings in view of the behavior and thought patterns of judges of various High Courts across the country. Such behavior has tarnished the image of the judiciary in general and the High Court in particular.'
The Supreme Court said that any judge deviating from the prescribed standards would be tantamount to murdering the trust of the nation. The court was hearing a petition alleging that a judge of the Gujarat High Court had not passed an order after hearing the counsel's arguments on March 1, 2023, and the IT cell of the high court had issued a notice to the petitioner after a year on 30 March. Soft copy of the reasoned order was given on April, 2024.
The bench said that Gujarat High Court has grossly violated the law in this matter. The Supreme Court said, 'Society expects every High Court judge to be a paragon of integrity, an embodiment of unquestionable integrity and unshakable principles, an advocate of moral excellence and an epitome of professionalism, who consistently ensures high standards of justice while guaranteeing justice. Can do quality work. However, taking a lenient view towards the judge concerned, the bench revived the petition of the appellant and reinstated it in the file of the High Court.
