Corrupt Judges and Their Removal

In al-Baḥr al-Zakhkhār al-Jāmiʿ li-Madhāhib ʿUlamāʾ al-Amṣār, under the chapter on Judiciary and Rulings (Kitāb al-Qaḍāʾ wa-l-Ḥukm), Imām Aḥmad ibn Yaḥyā ibn al-Murtaḍā (d. 840 AH / 1437 CE) outlines several key principles:

The Imām (head of state) has the authority to dismiss a judge, since the one who has the power to appoint also has the power to revoke the appointment.

A judge must be removed if he becomes morally corrupt (fāsiq), loses his reason, acts unjustly, or accepts bribes—even if his ruling happens to be correct.

He also cites the view of Imām Yaḥyā al-Hādī (d. 298 AH / 911 CE), who held that any gift given as a bribe should be placed in the public treasury (Bayt al-Māl). This is because such a gift is not considered personal property of the judge, but rather one directed to the authority of his office. Accordingly, it belongs to the Muslim community as a whole and should be spent for their collective welfare.