“The lawyer’s actions were just an effort to disgrace and harm the reputation of the courts,” said the Delhi High Court, sentencing him to four months in jail for criminal contempt.
The Delhi High Court has sentenced a lawyer to four months in simple imprisonment for criminal contempt. He was found guilty of making disrespectful comments about judges and filing numerous baseless complaints against judicial and police officials. Justices Prathiba M. Singh and Amit Sharma noted that the lawyer showed no remorse or apology for his actions, which they said aimed to “scandalize and malign the Courts.” The Court stated, “Such behavior from a qualified Advocate cannot go unpunished.” The contempt case began in May when a single judge took action after the lawyer made personal insults about judges and left contemptuous remarks in a virtual hearing’s chat. His comments included phrases like, “hope this court will pass the order on merit without pressure of bar members review no. 120/2024,” suggesting delays and bias.
After examining 30-40 complaints from the lawyer and his chat comments, the bench found he had made offensive claims against both trial and High Court judges, as well as police officers, likely to settle personal disputes with his estranged wife’s family. The Court remarked, “The offensive language used by the Contemnor is clearly contemptuous towards Judicial Officers, Judges, and the Court. This cannot be overlooked, and the Contemnor’s actions must be punished. He has wasted the time of several Courts with his frivolous and unfounded claims, merely trying to settle personal scores.”
The Court stated that the improper use of hybrid hearings to post offensive comments in the chat box clearly shows that the Contemnor deserves punishment for criminal contempt. Along with a four-month jail term, the Court also imposed a fine of Rs. 2,000. The Bench instructed the police to take the lawyer into custody right away and refused to suspend the sentence. The Contemnor requested a temporary suspension of the sentence so he could appeal to the Supreme Court. However, due to the negative campaign he waged against the Courts and specific Judges, as well as his disrespectful behavior during the proceedings, the Court decided not to suspend the order. The Contemnor had been given multiple chances to have legal representation in earlier hearings but chose to represent himself this time. The Court mentioned that if the Contemnor wants legal help, the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee (DHCLSC) should provide him with a lawyer.
Cause Title: Court on its own motion v. Sanjeev Kumar [Neutral Citation No. 2024: DHC: 8587-DB]