Punjab-Haryana HC stands by early retirement of judicial couple
The Punjab and Haryana High Court has backed its decision to retire judicial officers Ravinder Kumar Condal and Asha Condal at age 50.
The couple, who served as a civil judge and an additional district judge, were ordered to retire—Ravinder Kumar Condal in 2015 and Asha Condal in 2017—after the court flagged repeated concerns about their integrity and work ethic in official reports.
Why the court made this call
From 2009 onwards, both judges received negative remarks in their annual reviews, including adverse remarks, including those pertaining to honesty/integrity, were made by multiple administrative judges.
The couple claimed bias from one administrative judge, but the court found that multiple judges had raised similar issues.
On a positive note for Ravinder Kumar, the court canceled a previous order asking him to repay ₹23.85 lakh from his suspension period.