Jharkhand HC takes suo motu cognisance after Judge gets stuck in traffic [Read Order]

Jharkhand: The Jharkhand High Court has taken suo motu cognizance of an incident where Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi faced difficulties reaching his residence due to a political demonstration. The court emphasized the importance of judges’ safety and the duty of government agencies to protect judicial institutions.

Justice Sanjay Kumar Dwivedi passed the order while initiating a suo motu Public Interest Litigation (PIL) based on his personal experience on August 23, 2024. The judge was stuck in traffic for half an hour near the Chief Minister’s residence while returning from court.

Justice Dwivedi observed: “This is a serious matter, and in view of that, the Court was compelled to take all these efforts, which have been narrated hereinabove. This is not the concern of one Court only; if one Judge of the High Court is not safe, it means that the other Judges are not safe either, especially in a State where a good officer of the higher judiciary has lost his life due to the actions of some accused, which is being investigated by the C.B.I. and is being monitored by the Hon’ble Division Bench of this Court.”

The court emphasized the importance of judges’ safety, stating: “It is the highest duty of every governmental agency to guard and protect judicial institutions from such attacks. The great cherished values of the Constitution, the rule of law, human rights, and the dignity of all varieties of civilized life will be eroded if such executive high-handedness is allowed to prevail.”

The Director General of Police, Jharkhand, admitted to lapses in handling the situation and assured the court that such incidents would not be repeated in the future.

The court has directed the registry to register the case as “Court on its own motion” and place the order before the Acting Chief Justice for further action.

[Read Order]