MP High Court seeks state's response on providing official accommodation to district judges

Jabalpur, Jul 11 (PTI) The Madhya Pradesh High Court has sought an affidavit from the state's additional chief secretary (home) on the steps being taken to provide official accommodation to district judges and magistrates, saying adequate housing is essential for their security and independence. A division bench of Justice Anand Pathak and Justice B P Sharma passed the direction while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) concerning security arrangements for district judiciary judges. The detailed order, issued on Friday after the court reserved its verdict a day earlier, noted that a large number of judges in the state were living in rented accommodation instead of government quarters. The bench directed the ACS of the Home Department to file a categorical affidavit outlining the steps proposed by the state government to address the issue. "If the state government is serious about maintaining the security and well-being of judges of the district judiciary, it will come out with a concrete plan to address the housing problem," the court observed. The bench said it was the state's responsibility to ensure adequate funds for housing and related infrastructure so that judges could "maintain aloofness and feel secure with their families." The PIL originated from a suo motu cognisance taken by the then Acting Chief Justice in 2016 following an incident involving a judicial officer in Mandsaur that raised concerns over the security of district court judges. PTI LAL NSK