HC recommends dismissal of another
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recommended the compulsory retirement of District and Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh, reportedly for constructing a house without obtaining mandatory permissions. Singh, once recognized as the youngest magistrate in the country, had notably presided over the high-profile 2019 Kathua rape and murder trial in Pathankot, where he convicted six of the seven accused in the brutal crime involving an eight-year-old girl.
Proceedings against Singh were reportedly initiated following an administrative note by Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal, then the inspecting judge of the Pathankot Sessions Division.
Tejwinder Singh joined the Punjab Judicial Services in 1991 at the age of 23 and was featured in the 1993 Limca Book of Records for being the youngest magistrate in India.
In a separate development, the High Court has also recommended the dismissal of Haryana Additional District and Sessions Judge RK Jain. This follows a probe by the High Court’s vigilance wing into complaints lodged against him.
These actions are part of a broader drive by the High Court to enforce internal accountability within the subordinate judiciary. Over the past two years, disciplinary proceedings have been initiated against more than two dozen judicial officers.
Since Justice Sheel Nagu took charge as Chief Justice ten months ago, action has been initiated against nine judicial officers — three from Punjab and six from Haryana. Of these, two officers from Punjab have been dismissed from service and one suspended. In Haryana, two officers have been dismissed, while four others are under suspension.
The disciplinary measures were decided in full court meetings — administrative sessions attended by all High Court judges — where matters concerning appointments, transfers, promotions, and disciplinary actions are deliberated.
