Overview

• Both judges were relieved from service with immediate effect on October 1 following approvals at the highest levels.
• The dismissed officers are Dhananjay L. Nikam, Additional Sessions Judge in Satara, and Irfan R. Shaikh, Civil Judge (Senior Division) in Palghar.
• The Anti-Corruption Bureau registered a case alleging Nikam sought a Rs 5 lakh bribe through intermediaries for a favourable bail order, with an FIR in Satara under the Prevention of Corruption Act.
• Nikam’s anticipatory bail applications were rejected first by a sessions court in December 2024 and later by the Bombay High Court in March 2025.
• Pathology tests ordered by the High Court administration found Shaikh under the influence of narcotic substances, with separate allegations of obstructing police in an accident case and a petition against him pending.