Judges should avoid social media, focus on judicial discipline: Supreme Court
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has emphasised the importance of discipline among judicial officers, advising them to refrain from using social media and expressing personal opinions on judicial matters. A bench comprising Justices B.V. Nagarathna and N. Kotiswar Singh observed that judges must "live like hermits and work like horses" while maintaining strict impartiality.
The remarks came during the hearing of a case concerning the termination of two women judicial officers by the Madhya Pradesh High Court over alleged unsatisfactory performance during their probation period. The court noted that one of the terminated judges had made a Facebook post, leading to concerns about the impact of social media use by judicial officers.
The bench highlighted that judges should not comment on judgments on public platforms, stating, "If a judgment is cited tomorrow, the judge has already expressed one way or the other. It is an open platform." The court also observed that "there is no place for flamboyance in the judiciary."
Senior advocate R. Basant, representing one of the terminated judges, supported the court's stance, asserting that judicial officers should avoid posting anything related to their work on social media.
The case involves six women civil judges who were dismissed by the Madhya Pradesh High Court earlier this year. While four were reinstated after reconsideration, two namely Aditi Kumar Sharma and Sarita Chaudhary were not. Both had been appointed in 2017 and 2018 but were terminated in June 2023 for failing to meet performance standards during their probation.
One of the terminated judges argued that her performance review did not consider mitigating factors, including a miscarriage in 2021 and her brother's cancer diagnosis. Her plea highlighted that maternity and childcare leave were overlooked in the evaluation process, violating her rights under Articles 14 and 21 of the Constitution.
The Supreme Court acknowledged the difficulties posed by the Covid-19 pandemic, which disrupted judicial functioning and affected case disposal assessments. Notices have been issued to the Madhya Pradesh High Court and other stakeholders involved in the case.
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Dharwad Corporation zonal offices raided after complaints of corruption in issuing land records
Hubballi: Karnataka Lokayukta officials on Friday conducted raids at multiple zonal offices of the Hubballi-Dharwad City Corporation following complaints alleging bribery and delay in issuing land-related documents, including e-Swathu records.
The raids were carried out in the morning under the leadership of Siddalingappa S.T.. Separate teams inspected 12 zonal offices of the Corporation and examined records linked to land ownership and document processing.
According to sources, the Lokayukta received complaints from members of the public alleging that Corporation officials were demanding bribes for issuing e-Swathu and other land documents.
Residents reportedly alleged that applications were being deliberately delayed if bribes were not paid.
Based on these complaints, officials carried out inspections of files and records connected to land ownership and issuance of documents.
Further investigation is underway.
