More than a month after she approached the Kerala High Court alleging continuous harassment by her superior officer, the Judicial Magistrate of the First Class-II court in Kottayam has been transferred to a new post.
An order issued by P.J. Vincent, Registrar (District Judiciary), on Monday states that judicial officer Tiara Rose Mary and Deepa Mohanan, Additional Munsiff, Kottayam, are mutually transferred. “The officers shall take charge at their respective new stations forthwith. The officers are not eligible for joining time or transfer grant,” it reads.
Meanwhile, Ms. Mohanan will be eligible for a special pay of ₹1,250 a month for the extra administrative work in her new post. Ms. Mary has proceeded on leave since March 1, reportedly protesting against what she terms ‘continuous harassment’ by the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) of Kottayam. Over a month ago, she also lodged a complaint in this regard with the committee responsible for addressing grievances of judicial officers.
Allegations
In a letter addressed to the committee, she accuses the CJM of public blaming, biased allocation of additional charges, and unfair treatment during pregnancy. The letter further states that the undue pressure, biased action in staff allocation, and unreasonable demands by the CJM had caused considerable emotional stress, raising concerns about the health and safety of her foetus.
Based on the complaint, the committee launched an inquiry and sought an explanation from the CJM, Viveeja Sethumohan.
Meanwhile, official sources pointed out that the CJM would still hold some authority over the transferred judicial officer, as the Additional Munsiff also held the charge of Judicial First Class Magistrate Court 5. “However, matters regarding the allocation of staff and writing of the confidential report will be handled by the district judge concerned,” they said.
