In Brief
A judicial officer (Krishna Prasad Verma) was disciplined for: (1) granting bail to accused despite earlier rejections by the Supreme Court, and (2) closing evidence in an NDPS case resulting in acquittal. The Supreme Court held that Article 235 empowers High Courts to control subordinate courts, but disciplinary action should not be initiated merely because a wrong order is passed. Absence of evidence showing extraneous reasons for the order, combined with the Public Prosecutor's failure to oppose bail and his note that witnesses could not be produced, negated misconduct. The Court emphasized that judges must be protected from trivial complaints to maintain judicial independence and fearlessness. The appeal was allowed and all disciplinary proceedings quashed.
The lawyer headnote and full judgment text are available to registered users.