Bihar district judge forced to retire for misconduct

A district judge in Bihar, Ajay Kumar Srivastava, has been forced to take compulsory retirement after a Patna High Court committee investigating allegations of misconduct against him found the charges to be true.

The standing committee of the High Court presided over by Chief Justice Rekha M Doshit deliberated on the allegations of ‘indecent behaviour and malpractices’ against the district judge and noted that “Srivastava has outlived his utility as a judicial officer.”

The judge, who was posted in Jehanabad, was originally scheduled to retire on June 30, 2018. After he was compulsorily retired, the additional district judge (ADJ-1) of Jehanabad, Om Prakash Rai was given the additional charge of the district judge.

Before arriving at a decision, the high-level committee considered the service records, the allegation files and other materials. It concluded later that “Srivastava, in exercise of powers conferred by relevant rules of the Bihar Service Code, be retired from service in public interest and relieved from all judicial duties.”

The judge was earlier also charged with financial irregularities.