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Sambhal CJM Vibhanshu Sudheer, who ordered an FIR against police officials over a 2024 shooting, has been transferred by the Allahabad High Court along with 13 other judicial officers.
The FIR related to injuries suffered by a youth, Alam, during violence linked to a court-ordered mosque survey in November 2024. The judge who ordered the survey, Aditya Singh, replaced Sudheer as Sambhal CJM.
The transfer comes days after the police refused to file the FIR as directed, saying an earlier investigation had cleared the concerned officers. Sambhal police said they would challenge the magistrate’s order before the High Court.
The Allahabad High Court in Uttar Pradesh, on 20 January 2026, transferred Sambhal Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Vibhanshu Sudheer, days after he ordered the registration of an FIR against several police officials in connection with the November 2024 violence in the town. Sudheer was replaced by Aditya Singh, who was earlier serving as civil judge (senior division) at Chandausi, and had ordered a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid which sparked the violence.
Sudheer has been transferred to Sultanpur as a civil judge (senior division). Sudheer was among 14 judicial officers shifted in an administrative reshuffle. The transfer order was issued by the Registrar (Judicial Services) of the Allahabad High Court.
Earlier this month, Sudheer had directed the police to register an FIR against former Circle Officer Anuj Chaudhary, Sambhal Kotwali in-charge Anuj Tomar, and 15-20 unidentified police personnel. The order was passed in connection with the shooting of a Muslim man named Alam during unrest in Sambhal on 24 November 2024.
The case arose from an application filed by Yameen, Alam’s father, who alleged that his son was shot by police personnel while selling rusks and biscuits from a cart near the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal. According to the application, the police fired at a crowd with the intention to kill during violence that erupted that morning.
In his order, Sudheer noted that medical records showed that Alam had suffered gunshot injuries. While the identity of the person who fired the shot was yet to be established, the magistrate said this could only be determined through a proper investigation. Referring to the seriousness of the offence, he observed that in cases of attempted murder, it was unlikely that a victim would falsely accuse someone else while sparing the actual assailant.
The magistrate also rejected the preliminary defence raised by the police that they were acting in the discharge of official duties. Citing judicial precedents, Sudheer held that firing upon a person could not automatically be shielded as an official act and that criminal liability could not be avoided on that ground alone.
Live Law reported that Sudheer described the police report in the case as “suspicious” and inconsistent with the medical evidence, which explicitly recorded a gunshot wound and police firing during a riot. Finding that a prima facie cognisable offence was disclosed, he ordered the registration of an FIR to enable a full investigation.
Following the order, Sambhal Police refused to file an FIR against the concerned officers, saying they would approach the Allahabad High Court to challenge the magistrate’s directions. Senior Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Bishnoi stated that a judicial inquiry into the violence had already been completed and that the police did not agree with the registration of the FIR.
The violence in Sambhal in November 2024 had broken out during protests against a court-ordered survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid in Chandausi. The survey was ordered in a suit claiming that the mosque had been built in 1526 by Mughal ruler Babar on the site of a “centuries-old Shri Hari Har Temple dedicated to Lord Kalki”.
The petition was filed on 19 November 2024 and heard by Aditya Singh. That same day, a preliminary survey was undertaken at the mosque. On 24 November 2024, when the survey team returned to the mosque, a large crowd gathered and clashes erupted. According to numerous reports, several people were killed during the violence, and multiple police personnel were injured. The police subsequently registered several FIRs and arrested dozens of people in connection with the unrest.
Sudheer’s transfer has drawn attention because of the timing of the administrative move. Apart from the Sambhal firing case, he had also passed earlier orders directing FIRs against police personnel in other matters.
In December 2025, he had ordered the registration of a case against multiple police officials in connection with an alleged fake encounter in the Bahjoi police station area in July 2022. Sudheer had directed the station house officer to register an FIR against several officers and submit a report to the court within three days.
The latest reshuffle includes transfers and postings of judicial officers across several districts, including Kannauj, Gonda, Sitapur, and Sultanpur. The High Court did not provide specific reasons for the individual transfers in its administrative order.
Following the order, several lawyers gathered outside Sambhal court, protesting the transfer of CJM Sudheer. They raised the slogan, “Whenever Yogi gets scared, he puts the police in front.”
Meanwhile, Anuj Chaudhary, one of the main accused police officers, has faced no action for his role in the Sambhal violence, in spite of the court direction and multiple witness accounts. He made it to national headlines once more after the 2024 violence, when he asked Muslims to stay indoors on Holi in March 2025.
“There are 52 ‘Jumma’ in a year, but only one day for Holi,” he said, “if they don't want colours to fall on them, then they should stay at home.” Despite complaints alleging violation of Police Conduct Rules, Chaudhary was given a clean chit in the incident and was even elevated to Additional Superintendent of Police afterwards.
The developments have added a new layer to the ongoing legal and political scrutiny of the Sambhal violence and the actions of law enforcement during the unrest. While the police challenge to Sudheer’s FIR order is yet to be heard, the transfer has shifted the immediate judicial handling of related matters to a new magistrate.
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