Supreme Court Reprimands High Court Judge Over Erroneous Criminal Procedure in Civil Dispute

The Supreme Court of India has issued a strong rebuke to a judge of the Allahabad High Court for mishandling a civil dispute by allowing criminal proceedings to continue. The top court described the judge's actions as "erroneous" and has restricted him from handling criminal cases until his retirement.

In a significant move on August 4, the bench of Justices J B Pardiwala and R Mahadevan questioned the high court judge's decision to uphold criminal summons in a matter strictly of civil nature. They labeled the high court's order as one of the "worst and most erroneous" they have encountered during their judicial tenures.

Senior judges at the Supreme Court, including Chief Justice of India B R Gavai, expressed strong disapproval of the situation, urging a reconsideration of internal procedures to prevent such occurrences. The Supreme Court has reassigned the case and removed the judge from criminal matters, assigning him to work alongside a senior judge on a division bench.

(With inputs from agencies.)