Madhya Pradesh judge who accused judicial officer of harassment withdraws resignation

Madhya Pradesh judge Aditi Kumar Sharma, who had resigned after accusing another judicial officer of harassment, has withdrawn her resignation and rejoined judicial service..The change of heart follows the advice of an internal committee of the High Court, which heard her grievance earlier this month. The panel urged her not to step away from service and assured her that the complaints could still be pursued through proper forums..Sharma, a civil judge from Madhya Pradesh's Shahdol, had resigned from service after the judicial officer she had accused of harassment was recently made a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.Her resignation came just hours after the Central government cleared the elevation of District Judge Rajesh Kumar Gupta as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.Despite letters and complaints, the Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Gupta’s elevation in early July 2025, the Centre cleared it on July 28 and he took oath as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on July 30.In her resignation letter addressed to the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Sharma wrote,"With every ounce of my moral strength and emotional exhaustion, I hereby resign from judicial service not because I lost faith in justice, but because justice lost its way inside the very institution sworn to protect it."She described her decision to resign as "a statement of protest".Two other judicial officers had also sent complaints raising concerns about Gupta’s conduct.Before stepping down, Sharma also wrote to the President of India and to the Supreme Court Collegium in July, arguing that “a person against whom there are serious unresolved allegations must not be rewarded with elevation.”.However, a two-member committee formed by the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on August 11 assured Sharma that her concerns would be heard in a dignified manner and in accordance with law.She then agreed to rejoin service after being told that her right to approach either administrative authorities or a judicial forum would remain unaffected. She re-joined duty on August 20 as Civil Judge (Junior Division).