A judge in Patna High Court has created a controversy by allegedly making casteist remarks and mocking a state government official for having been hired on the basis of reservation.
The incident took place on November 23 when Justice Sandeep Kumar was hearing arguments in a case against officer Arvind Bharti. He was accused of releasing compensation to a party even when the case was pending before the court, according to Live Law.
In a video of a live stream from Justice Kumar’s court that has gone viral on social media, he was informed that Bharti had previously faced suspension in a vigilance trap case.
Though Justice Kumar adjourned the case to give the parties time to file their responses, he asked Bharti whether he had got his job through reservation.
After Bharti replied in the affirmative, the court allowed him to leave. The exchange can be heard in the video after one hour and 55-minute mark.
However, after the officer left the room, some lawyers present started laughing and said: “Now your lordship will understand the matter.”
Another lawyer present claimed that Bharti would have earned worth two jobs.
Justice Kumar then said: “No, no, nothing will happen to these people. The poor fellow, whatever he might have earned, he might have finished it.”
When asked about Justice Kumar’s remark, Bharti told The Indian Express that he had made the comment in a “lighter vein”.
Last week, another video of Justice Kumar reprimanding the Bihar Police for demolishing a woman’s house allegedly at the instance of the local land mafia had gone viral on social media.
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