New Delhi 

June 11, 2025

The Supreme Court has issued notice to the Jharkhand High Court and state authorities after a woman Additional District Judge alleged that adverse remarks were added to her Annual Confidential Report (ACR) soon after she approached the top court seeking child care leave.

The petitioner had requested 194 days of leave, but only 92 days were granted without explanation. She later filed a writ petition. Following this, she claimed her previously positive ACR was downgraded with remarks suggesting “performance counselling.”

A bench of Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan expressed concern over the timing of the ACR change and sought responses from the High Court and state within four weeks. The matter has been clubbed with her earlier plea where the Court had already ordered reconsideration of her leave application.

The judge, a single mother from the SC category, argues that the ACR downgrade reflects retaliation and gender bias, raising broader issues of institutional fairness and support for women in the judiciary.