Supreme Court Rejects Plea From Former Judicial Officer Seeking Fast-Track Hearing

The Supreme Court on Thursday refused to entertain a petition filed by a former judicial officer who wanted an urgent hearing on his pending plea before the Allahabad High Court. A Bench of Justices Joymalya Bagchi and V. Mohana told the petitioner's lawyer that everyone has an equal right to access justice, comparing a bus conductor to a secretary of the State.

The Case

The former judicial officer filed the petition in the High Court to challenge his removal from service. His lawyer argued that the plea has not been decided yet because the High Court is facing a huge burden of pending cases.

Court's View

The apex court stated that asking the High Court to give special priority to this specific petition would be unfair to other people who are also waiting for their turn to get justice. The Bench added that it will not create individualistic interventions in the space of constitutional equality and suggested the petitioner pursue the matter before the appropriate court.

Context

High courts across the country often deal with massive backlogs of cases, leading to long waiting periods for litigants seeking hearings. Courts generally maintain that fast-tracking individual petitions without exceptional reasons can disrupt the fair queue for everyone else waiting for their day in court.