Sambhal Judge Transfer: Allahabad High Court transfers CJM Vibhanshu Sudheer days after he ordered an FIR against police officials over the November 2024 Sambhal firing that injured a Muslim youth.
Qalam Times News Network
Prayagraj | January 21, 2026
Sambhal Judge Transfer comes days after Chief Judicial Magistrate ordered FIR against police officers over the 2024 firing that left a Muslim youth seriously injured.
Sambhal Judge Transfer has drawn widespread attention after the Allahabad High Court on Tuesday transferred Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Vibhanshu Sudheer, days after he ordered the registration of an FIR against several police officers in connection with the November 2024 Sambhal violence. The administrative order was part of a larger reshuffle involving 14 judicial officers across Uttar Pradesh.
CJM Sudheer has been moved from Sambhal to Sultanpur, where he will serve as a Civil Judge (Senior Division). He has been replaced by Aditya Singh, who was previously posted as Civil Judge (Senior Division) in Chandausi town of Sambhal district. The timing of the Sambhal Judge Transfer has raised questions, as it comes shortly after Sudheer passed a strong order directing police accountability in a sensitive firing case.
Earlier this month, Sudheer had ordered the registration of a First Information Report against former Sambhal Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary, Kotwali in-charge Anuj Kumar Tomar, and 15–20 unidentified police personnel. The case relates to the shooting of a Muslim youth, Alam, during protests that erupted over a court-mandated survey of the historic Shahi Jama Masjid in November 2024.
The violence in Sambhal had left at least five Muslim men dead after tensions escalated when a group of locals objected to the mosque survey in Chandausi. According to the complaint filed by Alam’s father, Yameen, the injured youth was selling rusks and biscuits on his cart near the Jama Masjid on the morning of November 24, 2024, when police personnel allegedly opened fire on the crowd with the intent to kill.
Allowing the application filed under Section 173(4) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), CJM Sudheer noted that medical records clearly confirmed gunshot injuries. However, he observed that identifying the individual shooter required a proper investigation. The court emphasized that in serious offences like attempted murder, it is highly unlikely that a victim would falsely accuse someone while shielding the real perpetrator.
In his detailed 11-page order, Sudheer firmly rejected the police argument that the firing occurred in the course of official duty. Referring to Supreme Court precedents, he ruled that firing upon civilians cannot be protected under the shield of official duty. The court also found the police’s preliminary report suspicious and inconsistent with medical evidence, which explicitly mentioned gunshot wounds caused by police firing during a riot.
Concluding that a prima facie cognizable offence was made out, the court stated that only a fair and independent investigation could uncover the truth. Following the order, the Sambhal Police had indicated their intention to challenge the FIR directive before the High Court.
