On July 23, the Supreme Court, addressing a suo motu writ petition, urged the full court of the Madhya Pradesh High Court to re-evaluate the termination of six female civil judges. These judges were dismissed last year by the state government following a recommendation from the High Court’s Administrative Committee, citing unsatisfactory performance during their probation period.
Previously, the Administrative Committee of the Madhya Pradesh High Court had resolved against reinstating the terminated judges. However, Amicus Curiae Senior Advocate Gaurav Agarwal informed the Supreme Court bench, comprising Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh, that the full court still has the authority to reconsider the matter.
Acknowledging this, the Division Bench ordered, “We request the full court of the High Court of MP to reconsider the resolutions and orders impugned in this Suo Motu and other writ petitions. On reconsideration by the Full Court, a copy of the resolution would be placed before this Court within four weeks.”
The judges in question argued that their termination occurred at the start of their careers, and a fair assessment of their performance was not feasible due to the significant disruption caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
This matter initially gained attention when Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud took suo motu cognizance, leading to the issuance of a notice on January 12. Responses have been sought from the remaining two officers and the Registrar General of the MP High Court, as four of the six judges are already represented.
