CHENNAI: Three senior district judges in
Tamil Nadu, including one who had obtained two ‘good conduct’ certificates from the Chief Justice of India, are set to be sacked from service on corruption charges. The services of K Arul, registrar (special) at Madras high court, and D Leelavathi, additional principal judge of family court in Chennai, are being terminated at 58, denying them the usual extension to up to 60 years.
R Naraja, chief judicial magistrate of Tiruvannamalai, is just 50 and will lose about a decade’s service, including the two-year extension he would have got after turning 58. Arul’s case is the most conspicuous among the three, since on two occasions the then Chief Justice of India had certified him to be ‘very good’. In the first certificate in May 2015, the
CJI said Arul was “Very good, sincere, dependable and courteous”.
In November 2015, another certificate came his way describing him as “Very good, sincere, initiative-taking and dedicated”. He was serving as registrar (administration) of the
Supreme Court on those occasions. Later, though he was recommended for elevation as judge of Madras high court, his candidature was shot down by the Intelligence Bureau. Citing the adverse report, the Supreme Court rejected the recommendation of Madras high court for his elevation.
He is also fighting a writ petition, filed by a woman, K Sundari, in 2014 over a property purchase. The case is still pending in high court. Leelavathi too faced grave graft allegations before the full court, which said scores of orders shown as having been delivered by her, had not been delivered at all. There were also allegations over community certificate and nondeclaration of property details. But the full court relied on the confirmed reports on judicial performance and misconduct alone.
The biggest loser is Naraja. He too has now been eased out on corruption charges. Sources told TOI that the resolution to remove the three was not adopted without several rounds of debate among judges. There were also attempts to ensure their continuation in service. At one point, it was even suggested that such bid to save the corrupt would lead to a situation where, as in
Andhra, the state vigilance and anti-corruption department could be empowered to raid and take action against sitting judicial officers in the state.
The resolution would now be sent to the state government concerned — in the case of Arul it would be the Union territory of Puducherry — for notification. In the meanwhile, the three may be shunted to non-sensitive posts. Madras HC has cracked the whip against corruption and misconduct by subordinate judicial officers, nearly two years after the state witnessed removal of about 10 members of the subordinate judiciary, during the tenure of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul (since elevated to Supreme Court as judge).
