NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday reversed its August 4 decision that barred Justice Prashant Kumar of the Allahabad High Court from hearing criminal matters, following intervention by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai.
The rollback came a day after 13 Allahabad HC judges wrote to Chief Justice Arun Bhansali, urging that the top court’s directive not be enforced and requesting a Full Court meeting.
A Bench of Justices J.B. Pardiwala and R. Mahadevan, which had issued the earlier order, clarified that their intention was “not to cause embarrassment or cast aspersion” on the judge, but to address a broader issue of civil disputes being wrongly converted into criminal cases.
While sending the matter back to the Allahabad HC Chief Justice for reconsideration, the Bench stressed it respected the High Court’s administrative authority over the roster.
On August 4, the Supreme Court had sharply criticised Justice Kumar for allowing a criminal case in what it deemed a purely civil dispute, calling the order “perverse and unjust.”
