New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear in July a plea of several Gujarat judicial officers whose promotions the apex court had stayed.
A bench comprising Chief Justice D Y Chandrachud and Justices P S Narasimha and J B Pardiwala,took note of the submissions of senior advocate Meenakshi Arora, appearing for the judicial officers, that they have been reverted to their original lower cadre by the Gujarat High Court in pursuance of the apex court’s decision of May 12.
Those demoted by a bench headed by retired Justice MR Shah do not include Surat Chief Judicial Magistrate Harish Hasmukhbhai Varma as his promotion was based on merit.
Varma had convicted Rahul Gandhi in a defamation case and sentenced him to two years of simple imprisonment, resulting in the cancellation of his Lok Sabha membership.
Judges getting 'humiliated' due to demotions
Several judicial officers are suffering “humiliation” due to the demotion and moreover, six states in the country follow the principle of seniority-cum-merit for promotion, said the senior lawyer.
“We will list it in July after the summer vacation,” the CJI said, adding they have been reverted on account of a decision of a coordinate bench of the apex court.
The apex court had earlier said that the promotion of the judicial officers was in violation of the Gujarat State Judicial Service Rules 2005, amended in 2011, which states that promotions must be made on the principle of merit-cum-seniority and on passing a suitability test.
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