Date: 17.12.2025
The halls of the Supreme Court recently echoed with a question that strikes at the heart of judicial integrity: Where does the protection of a judge end and the accountability for their actions begin? During the hearing of Rajaram Bhartiya v. The High Court of Madhya Pradesh, a bench led by Chief Justice Surya Kant addressed a growing, uncomfortable trend in the Indian legal landscape- The flurry of passing as many orders as possible days before the hang up their robes.The case centered on Rajaram Bhartiya, just days before his scheduled retirement, he was suspended by the Madhya Pradesh High Court. While the formal reasons weren’t initially public, it emerged that the suspension was linked to his orders staying the recovery of massive mining royalties—amounts running into several crores.
The Supreme Court didn’t mince words. Using a cricket metaphor that resonated with the public, the Bench noted a “growing trend” of judges “hitting so many sixers” right before retirement, Furthermore it said :
- Chief Justice Surya Kant noted with concern that some judges become unusually prolific in their final days, often handling high-value financial matters that raise red flags.
- The Court clarified that while a judge is protected from being punished for a “wrong” legal opinion, this immunity vanishes if an order is driven by “dishonest or extraneous considerations.”
- Judicial independence is a shield for the fair-minded, not a loophole for those seeking to pass questionable orders under the cover of their final days in office.
