The court has also imposed a fine of Rs. 2,000 on Ashok Pande. In case he does not pay the fine, he will face an additional one-month jail term. He has been given four weeks to surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Lucknow.
Allahabad: The Allahabad High Court has sentenced local lawyer Ashok Pande to six months of imprisonment in a contempt case that began in 2021. The action was taken because Pande appeared in court without wearing a lawyer’s robe and with his shirt unbuttoned.
The case was heard by a division bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and BR Singh, who announced the verdict on Thursday.
The court stated, “exemplary punishment is warranted“ considering the seriousness of the charges, Pande’s past behaviour, and the fact that he chose not to participate in the proceedings.
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The court has also imposed a fine of Rs. 2,000 on Ashok Pande. In case he does not pay the fine, he will face an additional one-month jail term. He has been given four weeks to surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Lucknow.
In a significant move, the High Court has also issued a show cause notice to Pande, asking him why he should not be barred from practicing law in the Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow Bench. He has been asked to respond to the notice by May 1.
The contempt proceedings were initiated suo motu (by the court itself) after Pande appeared on August 18, 2021, in an improper dress and allegedly misbehaved with the judges. When the court questioned his appearance and asked him to leave, he reportedly called the judges “goondas“.
The court also observed that despite being given multiple chances, Ashok Pande never replied to the contempt charges. It also highlighted that this was not his first time facing contempt issues. In 2017, he was banned for two years from entering the high court premises because of similar misconduct.
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