|
The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the termination of two women judges by the Madhya Pradesh High Court and the State government.
A bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh noted that their termination was illegal and arbitrary as their performances, as per the High Court's report, spoke otherwise. Thus, the Court proceeded to direct the reinstatement of the terminated judges and called for showing sensitivity towards women judicial officers. The top court was dealing with a suo moto case concerning the termination of six women judges in MP. Four were reinstated in September 2024 after the top courts' intervention. The top court had taken suo moto cognizance in the matter in January 2024 following the termination of the women judges in the State. One of the terminated judges faced significant personal challenges during her period of probation that included contracting COVID and suffering a miscarriage. As a result, the Court concluded that the adverse comments in her Annual Confidential Report (ACR) were made without taking these factors into account. The Court emphasized that the High Court should have approached the situation with more sensitivity. The Court further noted the physical and emotional difficulties faced by women in the judiciary, particularly highlighting the significant impact of miscarriage on both physical and mental health. (ANI)
|
