Supreme Court Rejects Judicial Officer's Plea For Priority Hearing

The Supreme Court has rejected a plea from a former judicial officer seeking expeditious hearing on his termination challenge pending before the Allahabad High Court. A bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V Mohana refused to entertain the petition, asserting that everyone has an equal right to access justice regardless of their position in society.

The bench emphasized the principle of constitutional equality, stating "Whether a person is a bus conductor or a secretary of the state, everyone has an equal right to access justice." The petitioner's counsel had argued that due to the heavy case burden in the high court, his client's plea remained undecided. However, the court observed that granting priority to one case would be unfair to other litigants waiting for their turn for adjudication. The bench noted, "In this space of constitutional equality, we will not create individualistic interventions."

The court initially suggested the petitioner approach the high court directly to request expeditious hearing. The bench ultimately directed that the petitioner may pursue the matter before the appropriate court, maintaining that all cases must be heard in their proper turn according to established procedures.