The Gujarat high court on Thursday ordered suspension of additional sessions judge RH Sharma who had several charges, including corruption, levelled against him.
The Gujarat high court on Thursday ordered suspension of additional sessions judge RH Sharma who had several charges, including corruption, levelled against him.
Sharma, who has been in the eye of storm for several months, was suspended after the high court received numerous complaints against him. High court registrar PP Bhatt said, "Sharma was suspended after conclusion of a preliminary probe by the vigilance department of the high court. The registrar of vigilance recommended Sharma's suspension to the HC standing committee after assessing the complaints against Sharma. Now, a departmental probe would be initiated against him."
Sharma, however, told DNA: "People with ulterior motives are behind my suspension, they want to prevent me from becoming a judge of the Gujarat high court. Some of my senior judicial officers, and also some police officers, did not want me to continue as the judge as I was doing very good and may have come in their way."
"My track record has been very good, but I have been transferred 15 times in my 15-year-old career," Sharma said, adding that, "Apart from receiving the suspension letter, I have, at the same time, received an appreciation letter from high court for my work."
Registrar Bhatt, however, refused to comment on this. "We can't say anything at this stage. Everything will be clear after the departmental inquiry," he said.
Sharma was appointed a judicial officer in 1995. Earlier, he was special counsel of the CBI and appeared in the high-profile cases of Harshad Mehta stock market scam and 1993 Mumbai serial bomb blasts. Sharma claimed that, BN Kirpal, the former chief justice of India, wanted him to become a judge as "he was very impressed by my work as a lawyer."
The reaction from lawyers at city sessions court and metropolitan court over the suspension of the judge was mixed. Some lawyers welcomed the decision and wrote thanks message on the notice board of the sessions court.
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