misuse of public peons for personal use a case of corruption.

To,                      Date; 30^th January 2015

Registrar General,

High Court of Punjab and Haryana,

Chandigarh.

Sub;  Prohibition of using Government peons for private work.

Sir,

1.     It has come to my notice that there is rampant misuse of government peons for private work by Judges at all levels leading to scandalizing the administration of Courts and lowering its dignity amounting to Criminal Contempt of Court.

2.     The judges are using government peons at their official residences. Since this is done by senior judges hence lower level judges also follow this practice sincerely. To enable government peons to work at home, official records are manipulated. And for such small favor the judges subvert their independence to those peons. In this way the vicious cycle of corruption continues ending up at last level of the hierarchy.

3.     Home Peon permissible under Rule 7 would not include Private cook, Private gardener, Private Servant, Private sweeper, Private utencil cleaner, private washer man, Private toilet cleaner etc. Home peon would mean peon to look after government files at homes of judges.

4.     The instructions issued by the government of Punjab NO 3420-SII(3)-73 Dt 12.7.1973 are very clear on the subject. These instructions be circulated to all Judges to enhance dignity and respect of Judiciary. The circulation be carried with a rider that taking private work from government peons would amount to violation of law by judges, scandalizing the administration of Courts and lowering its dignity amounting to Criminal Contempt of Court.

5.     Lastly Judges also use official vehicles for personal work e.g. for sending their wards to schools, visiting home, friends, relatives, kitties parties and the like. Such a conduct be treated as corruption and offense involving moral turpitude.  

KD Aggarwal