SRINAGAR: The Punjab and Haryana High Court has recommended the compulsory retirement of District and Sessions Judge Tejwinder Singh, who had convicted six men in the widely followed Kathua rape and murder case in 2019. The action reportedly stems from allegations that Singh constructed a house without securing the required permissions, a Chandigarh-based newspaper, Tribune, reported.
Once celebrated as the youngest magistrate in the country, Tejwinder Singh began his judicial career at the age of 23 and was featured in the 1993 edition of the Limca Book of Records. His prominence rose further when, as District and Sessions Judge in Pathankot, he presided over the high-profile case involving the abduction, rape, and murder of an eight-year-old girl in Jammu and Kashmir’s Kathua district in January 2018 — a case that provoked national outrage and drew global attention.
According to the newspaper report , the proceedings against Singh were triggered by an administrative note written by Justice Anupinder Singh Grewal, the then inspecting judge of the Pathankot Sessions Division. The matter was later taken up by the High Court’s vigilance wing for investigation.
In a parallel development, the High Court has also recommended the dismissal of Haryana Additional District and Sessions Judge RK Jain after a vigilance probe into complaints filed against him.
These disciplinary actions are part of a broader trend under the current leadership of Chief Justice Sheel Nagu, who assumed charge less than a year ago. The High Court has taken action against nine judicial officers — three in Punjab and six in Haryana — in the past ten months alone. The measures range from dismissals to suspensions and compulsory retirements.
Overall, more than two dozen judicial officers have faced similar scrutiny over the past two years as part of the High Court’s internal drive for greater accountability and professional integrity within the subordinate judiciary.
Decisions on such matters are made during full court meetings — special administrative sittings attended by all judges of the High Court — which are convened to deliberate on key issues including appointments, promotions, transfers, and disciplinary action.
While the High Court has not officially commented on the matter, the action against Singh marks a dramatic turn in the career of a judge once hailed for his early rise and landmark rulings.
