Assistant government pleader Deepesh Madanlal Parate was suspended with immediate effect by the State government on Monday. Parate had slapped fifth senior civil judge Kiran Deshpande recently on the civil court premises here. The order in this regard was issued by the law and judiciary department on Monday. The order stated that Parate has been suspended from the post of assistant government pleader with immediate effect. Parate was posted at district and session court here. It is pertinent to note here that Parate had slapped senior civil judge K R Deshpande outside a lift on the seventh floor of the Nagpur District and Sessions court on December 26. The lawyer was miffed over the judge’s decision in a case.
The Nagpur bench of Bombay High Court took sou-moto cognisance of the matter by issuing notice of criminal contempt against Parate. Vacation judge Justice R K Deshpande of the high court’s Nagpur bench had said that such incidents are a “threat to independence of the judiciary”.
Justice Deshpande of the high court noted in his order that it was a serious matter where personal security of a judge was under threat.”It is a threat to independence of the judiciary. The rule of law is being undermined. Such outrageous conduct needs no tolerance,” the high court had said. On Monday, the State government has released the suspension order of Parate.