Punjab & Haryana High Court Seeks Explanation from Judicial Magistrate Over Alleged Family Ties to Accused
Court orders inquiry after investigation reveals distant familial relationship between JMIC and accused in bail matter
Chandigarh, November 6, 2025 – The Punjab and Haryana High Court has directed its Registrar General to obtain comments from a judicial magistrate following revelations that she may be distantly related to an accused person whose bail application she had granted.
Justice Sumeet Goel passed the order while hearing a petition seeking cancellation of bail granted to Rishab Walia, son of Vinod Kumar Walia, in FIR No. 485/2023 registered under Sections 195A, 506, and 201 of the Indian Penal Code at Police Station Mullana in Ambala district.
The controversy centers around Ms. Vandana Walia, who was serving as Judicial Magistrate First Class (JMIC) in Ambala when she heard the bail application. Petitioner Akash Walia had alleged that the judicial officer was the cousin sister of the accused and should not have heard the matter.
According to a compliance report dated May 19, 2025, filed by the State of Haryana, investigation revealed that Ms. Vandana Walia is indeed a “distant relative” of Rishab Walia. The report stated that while both families hail from Fatehpur village in Kaithal district, they belong to different gotras – the Walia family to Bhulla gotra and Ms. Vandana’s family to Suliyan gotra.
The investigation found that “Vandana Walia’s grandmother is the aunt of Reshabh Walia’s father Vinod Walia in long term relations,” making them distant relatives or cousins, though not real siblings.
The petitioner had earlier filed a complaint on January 15, 2024, pointing out that Ms. Vandana had taken leave to attend the Bhog ceremony following the death of Anil Walia on December 20, 2023. Anil Walia was allegedly the real brother of Vinod Walia and son of Ms. Vandana’s maternal uncle.
An inquiry was subsequently conducted by the District and Sessions Judge, Ambala, in which several persons from Fatehpur Pundri recorded statements confirming the familial relationship.
In his order, Justice Goel observed that the Court is “presently seized of the issue regarding whether Mrs. Vandana Walia, Judicial Magistrate 1st Class, Ambala, is the cousin sister of the accused-respondent No. 2, Rishab Walia,” and termed it a “preliminary question” that must be adjudicated before arriving at a conclusion on the bail cancellation petition.
The High Court has now directed the Registrar General to seek comments from Ms. Vandana in a sealed cover for the Court’s perusal. The Court has also asked for any inquiry report conducted on the administrative side to be produced in a sealed cover.
The matter has been listed for hearing on November 26, 2025, and is to be taken up in the urgent cause list.
The case has raised important questions about judicial propriety and the obligation of judicial officers to recuse themselves from matters where they may have familial connections with parties involved in litigation.
– NewsArc Bureau
