Judicial Officer In UP Issues Notice To Staffer For Serving Stale Snack, Seeks Explanation For 'Gross' Error

An Additional District and Sessions Judge posted in Uttar Pradesh's Gonda District last week issued a show cause notice to a court staffer for purportedly serving stale snack to the judge on May 30 at the court chambers.

As per the notice issued to the ardali (court staffer), the incident took place during the lunch break when the judge was in chambers with a fellow judge. The staffer was asked to bring tea and biscuits, but instead of bringing biscuits as instructed, he brought only tea along with stale dalmoth that had a foul smell.

The judge noted that the staffer appeared to have done it deliberately, despite there being fresh biscuits available in the cupboard. As a result, the staffer was put on a notice and asked to submit an explanation for this conduct. The full text of the notice is reproduced below:

“यहकि आज दिनांक 30.05.2025 को लन्च समय में मेरे विश्राम कक्ष में सिविल जज (जू०डि०)/एफ०टी०सी० नवीन, गोण्डा सुश्री शर्मिष्ठा साहू मिलने आयी थी जिस पर मेरे द्वारा आपको चाय/बिस्कुट लाने हेतु कहा गया, जबकि आपके द्वारा केवल दो चाय लायी गयी। मेरे द्वारा पुनः बिस्कुट लाने के लिए कहा गया, किन्तु आपके द्वारा बिस्कुट न लाकर पुरानी खराब स्थिति में जिसमें से गन्दी गंध आ रही थी, दालमोट रखी गयी। जबकि आलमारी में दो डिब्बे में अच्छी स्थिति में बिस्कुट रखे हुए थे। बावजूद आपके द्वारा जानबूझकर खराब पुरानी दालमोट रखी गयी, जो कि फेकने की स्थिति में थी। इस सम्बन्ध में आप अपना स्पष्टीकरण दिनांक 31.05.2025 को समय 10.30 बजे प्रस्तुत करें कि इस प्रकार की जानबूझकर घोर त्रुटि आपके द्वारा क्यों की गयी।”

[Translation: Today, dated 30.05.2025, during lunch time, Civil Judge (Junior Division)/FTC, Gonda, Ms. Sharmishtha Sahu, came to meet me in my resting chamber. At that time, I instructed you to bring tea and biscuits. However, you brought only two cups of tea. When I again asked you to bring biscuits, instead of doing so, you deliberately brought old and stale dalmoth, which had a foul smell coming from it. This was done despite the fact that two containers of biscuits in good condition were kept in the cupboard. Yet, you knowingly served the old, spoiled dalmoth, which was in a condition fit to be thrown away. In this regard, you are hereby directed to submit your explanation on 31.05.2025 at 10:30 a.m. as to why such a gross and deliberate error was committed by you.]