Sreya Kanugula
Taking a step to crackdown severely upon corruption in the administration, the Patna court dismissed around 17 of its staff and fired them from their services due to taking several bribes.
They took these bribes from litigants to advocates, in turn, doing different favours for the latter to the former. This is a first in the dismissal of so many staff members of the court in one move due to their indulgence in unlawful behaviour.
All 17 of them posted at the civil court of Patna earned the court administration’s ire after their collection of bribes from litigants as well as their advocates, in turn giving them their choice of court hearing dates, was caught on camera. Reports noted that they forwarded the ones arrested under violation of liquor laws to their choice of jails as well.
This action was taken against them after some 3 years of a regional television news channel’s sting operation exposed the rampant abuse of power that took place at a Patna Special Excise court.
When this news became headlines, the Patna High Court’s Chief Justice during that time, Justice Rajendra Menon demanded that all the accused caught redhanded on camera be suspended immediately. And he made sure to take suo motu cognizance of this case.
A formal order was announced on the dismissal of these staff members on January 5, 2021, after they completed their legal formalities. Most of them occupied positions of clerks, peons, court readers as well as typists.
The case on corruption charges made against them was registered at a local police station after they were proven. Upendra Sharma, the senior superintendent of Patna Police stated so to the press on January 6th.
This is the second ruthless quick succession taken by the court against its own officials.
December 2020 saw the dismissal of three senior judges of different Bihar courts after being caught blatantly with women in reputation marring positions. The judges included Komal Ram, Jitendra Nath Singh, as well as Hari Niwas Gupta.
Mr. Ram worked at the Chief position of a judicial magistrate in Araria district of Bihar. Mr. Singh acted as the ad hoc Additional and Sessions judge at the same district as Mr. Ram, while Mr. Gupta worked at Samastipur as a family court’s principal judge.
These judges were deprived of any post-retirement advantages or reimbursements as per the issue of a notification by the Department of General Administration of Bihar’s government. This was done so on December 17th in the same year.
