India’s trial courts are often criticized for the slow pace of case resolution, with thousands of cases pending and litigants demanding faster justice. However, in a strange twist, a Bihar district judge claims he was suspended for delivering unusually quick verdicts.
On July 27th, District Judge S K Rai approached the Supreme Court, arguing that the Patna High Court suspended him for completing trials at an express pace. He cited two Pocso cases where he delivered judgments within one and four days, sentencing the accused to life imprisonment and death, respectively. He is now seeking retrospective promotion and justice.
Senior advocate Vikas Singh, representing the judge, requested an early hearing from a Supreme Court bench led by Chief Justice N V Ramana, stating that the suspension came as a result of the judge’s swift handling of cases. However, the petition does not clearly confirm whether the suspension was solely due to the rapid judgments, as it also outlines a history of delayed promotions.
Rai began his career in the Bihar Judicial Services as a civil judge (junior division) in 2007, securing the 7th rank among 318 candidates. While serving in Jehanabad, he was considered for promotion to civil judge (senior division), but the promotion was delayed due to issues with his judgment writing, as reviewed by the High Court.
Despite this, he was promoted to civil judge (senior division) the following year based on the same judgments. In 2018-19, Rai was promoted to district judge. After this promotion, he sought retrospective seniority from 2013-14, claiming that the one-year delay had made him junior to his batchmates.
In December 2020, Rai submitted a representation to the High Court, requesting that his promotion to senior division civil judge be backdated to avoid this delay. However, in September 2021, the High Court rejected his representation and issued a show-cause notice, questioning why he had challenged the evaluation process and raised concerns of personal bias.
The case sheds light on the complexities of judicial promotions, evaluations, and the balance between delivering swift justice and following procedural norms.
Case Title: S K Rai vs. Patna High Court
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