LUCKNOW, Aug. 31 -- The Uttar Pradesh Judicial Services Association has strongly condemned the alleged administrative pressure by Devi Patan commissioner Durga Shakti Nagpal on civil judge (senior division), Gonda, Shabina Khan in a pending civil suit and passed a resolution seeking action and guidelines. An online meeting of office-bearers' of the association was held on August 24, in which matter was seriously discussed and the commissioner's act was condemned and considered as direct interference in judicial work and judicial independence. Harendra Bahadur Singh is the president of the association, Sumit Chaudhary and Ashish Kamboj are vice presidents, and Gunandra Prakash is the secretary general. HT has a copy of the resolution passed by the judicial body. A copy of the resolution has been sent to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary for taking serious cognizance and action against the commissioner as per rules and issuing effective guidelines to administrative and police officers to prevent recurrence and ensure independence and dignity of judicial officers. The association also sent a letter having details of the resolution passed in the meeting to all district courts on August 29. Gunandra Prakash, secretary general of the association, has confirmed the letter's authenticity. The association said it came to know from newspapers, social media and an order passed by Allahabad high court's Lucknow bench that in connection with a civil suit pending in court of Shabina Khan, the commissioner allegedly called and first collected information from her child about his name, address, siblings and school and then talked to the judge about the civil suit. It is alleged that claiming herself to be senior administrative officer, the commissioner called her "sanskar-vihin" and made remarks about her being or not being a judicial officer and threatened to complain to the Allahabad high court and get the civil suit transferred. The association said constitutional and institutional separation of judiciary and executive is an important basis of rule of law and judicial independence. Therefore, directly or indirectly pressurising a judicial officer by a senior administrative officer in a pending case, collecting information about the judicial officer's family, child and child's school or threatening the judicial officer is serious concern for judicial independence and dignity. "The purpose of collecting such information is to create an atmosphere of pressure or fear, which can create insecurity and mental pressure in the judicial officer and her family. Such circumstances affect independent, impartial and fearless discharge of official duties," said the association. It also said an effective and healthy coordination between judiciary and administration is possible only when both institutions discharge their constitutional responsibilities while respecting each other and do not unnecessarily interfere in each other's jurisdiction. htc...