Aditi Kumar Sharma, a Civil Judge from Madhya Pradesh who had resigned from her position after accusing a senior judicial officer of harassment, has withdrawn her resignation and rejoined the judicial service on August 20.
The decision came after a two-member internal committee of the Madhya Pradesh High Court intervened, urging her to reconsider her resignation. The committee assured Judge Sharma that her grievances would be heard and that her right to pursue the complaints through appropriate administrative or judicial forums would remain intact.
Judge Sharma had tendered her resignation in late July, viewing it as a “statement of protest.” Her resignation was submitted shortly after the judicial officer she had accused of harassment, District Judge Rajesh Kumar Gupta, was elevated and appointed as a judge of the Madhya Pradesh High Court.
The Supreme Court Collegium had recommended Judge Gupta’s elevation in early July 2025. The Central government cleared the appointment on July 28, and he was sworn in as a High Court judge on July 30.
Prior to this, Judge Sharma had written to the President of India and the Supreme Court Collegium, arguing that “a person against whom there are serious unresolved allegations must not be rewarded with elevation.” It was also noted that two other judicial officers had submitted complaints regarding Judge Gupta’s conduct.
In her poignant resignation letter addressed to the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, Judge Sharma had written, “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.”
Following the formation of a committee by the Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court on August 11, Judge Sharma was assured that her concerns would be addressed in a dignified manner and in accordance with the law. Accepting the committee’s counsel, she rejoined her post as Civil Judge (Junior Division) on August 20.
