The Gujarat High Court today asked an additional sessions judge at Nadiad to attend a legal training session, sharply castigating him for the lack of understanding of the law.
Justice Anant Dave of the High Court was hearing an appeal against the order passed by Nandiad judge B B Pathak on an anticipatory bail petition filed.
"The degree of understanding of the law and anticipatory bail of the Additional Sessions Judge, Nadiad needs to be relooked at," the High Court said in the order.
"For sensitisation of the Judicial Officer, the High Court registry is directed to inform the concerned judge to attend the session that is to be conducted by the Judicial Academy," the order said.
"The training session is to be scheduled with regard to powers to be exercised under Section 438 of the Code of Criminal Procedure," Justice Dave said.
Section 438 deals with the anticipatory bail provisions.
"A bare perusal of the order passed by the Additional Sessions Judge of Nadiad revealed ignorance of provisions of Section 438."
Applicant Bharat Patel, resident of Thasra in Kheda district, had sought anticipatory bail in a case related to poaching of a blue bull. The sessions court rejected his plea on March 5 observing that the offence was non-bailable.
The High Court set the ruling aside and granted Patel an anticipatory bail.
