Law Kumar Mishra
Patna, January 6
Patna High Court administration on Wednesday issued termination orders to 16 employees of the Patna district and sessions Judge courts after they were caught on camera accepting money from the litigants inside the courtrooms in November 2017.
A news channel had conducted sting operations for more than two weeks in different courts and found them accepting money for informing about the next date of hearings, their jail choice and even for showing them the papers related to their offences.
The accused who were facing trial and sent to different jails were dependent on the court clerks about the choice to jails- Beur, Phulwari or Danapur and it was decided on the illegal gratification given to the court staff (Peshkars). Entire proceedings of giving and accepting of money was done in presence of the judges concerned in the courts.
A woman peshkar who has also been dismissed from service was seen shouting at an offender of prohibition law for immediate money. Even for passing the release orders to the prisons, money changed hands.
Those dismissed from their services are-Shailender Kumar, Santosh Tiwari, Kunal Nagendra, Sanjay Shankar, Ashish Dixit, Pradip Kumar, Sunil Kumar Yadav, Vishwamohan, Mukesh Kumar, Subodh Kumar, Shahnawaj Rizvi, Rani Devi, Sunodh Kumar, Madhu Ram, Ram Ekbal and Alok Kumar.
The then senior most judge of Patna High Court, Rakesh Kumar, in an order had noted in his judgment: “I am shocked, perturbed and very much agitated “over the sting operations and had requested the then chief justice of Patna High Court to get an FIR registered without further delay.” The tapes present a very shocking, shameful and anti-public face of the judiciary, he added.
This is for the first time that 16 employees of District and sessions court have been dismissed in en-masse on corruption charges.
