The Madhya Pradesh High Court held the editor of Dainik Chambal Vani, Suman Singh Sikarwar, guilty of contempt of court for publishing a news report against a sitting judge. The court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh and additional costs, cautioning Sikarwar to be more cautious in the future.
Madhya Pradesh: This Month (6th May): The Madhya Pradesh High Court held the editor of a Hindi newspaper in Gwalior, Suman Singh Sikarwar, guilty of contempt of court under the Contempt of Courts Act. The court imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh and additional costs on Sikarwar for publishing a news report against one of its sitting judges in 2011.
READ ALSO: Madhya Pradesh High Court’s Directive on Lawyer’s ‘Mental Well-being’
The Division Bench, comprising Chief Justice Ravi Malimath and Justice Milind Ramesh Phadke, also directed Sikarwar to pay a fine of Rs 2,000 and cautioned him to be more careful in the future.
Background:
The case dates back to 2011 when the newspaper ‘Dainik Chambal Vani’ published a front-page report titled “Sarvoch Nayalaya Aaj Ki Tarah Nishpakch ho jai to Judge Shri Modi Ji Ko Jail Mein Hona Tha” (Translation: If the Supreme Court were impartial like today, Shri Modi would have been in jail). Subsequently, suo motu contempt of court proceedings were initiated against Sikarwar.
The matter was transferred from Jabalpur to the Gwalior Bench and finally heard on March 14, 2024, with the judgment being pronounced on May 6.
The High Court observed that the news report contained intemperate language and derogatory remarks, which were not a mere expression of dispassionate criticism but an intentional attempt to scandalize the image of a judge. The Court held that Sikarwar’s actions fell within the definition of contempt under Section 2(c) of The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
READ ALSO: Madhya Pradesh High Court Initiates Action to Expedite DNA-FSL Report Submission
The Court noted that Sikarwar’s initial reply had even demanded action against the judge and tried to justify the news item. Consequently, the Court rejected his oral offer of unconditional apology.
“The respondent-contemnor is directed to pay costs of Rs 1,00,000 to the MP High Court Bar Association, Gwalior, within one month,” the Court decreed.
The Court clarified that the news article did not merely offer dispassionate criticism of the judges, their functioning, or their judgments, but instead employed intemperate language and undesirable expletives.
“Hence, it appears to be a deliberate effort by the respondent-contemnor to tarnish the reputation of a judge of this Court and other judges, which unmistakably falls under the purview of section 2(c) of The Contempt of Courts Act, 1971,” the Court concluded.
The Court noted the absence of any “genuine remorse on his part, and his apology seemed insincere, merely made to acknowledge the offense,” which, according to the Court, lacked sincerity.
READ ALSO: Madhya Pradesh High Court: ‘Saptapadi’ Essential for Validity of Hindu Marriages
The Court observed that in his initial response, Sikarwar had not expressed any intention to apologize and had even demanded action against the judge while justifying the news article.
“It was only in the reply submitted on 20.6.2011 that the respondent-contemnor attempted to seek an apology, albeit conditional, after leveling several allegations against Shri Mody,” the Court remarked.
Given this context, the Court dismissed Sikarwar’s verbal offer of an unconditional apology and proceeded to impose a punishment.
“We believe that imposing a fine and costs on the respondent-contemnor, rather than imprisonment, would constitute a fair and appropriate penalty,” the Court stated, directing Sikarwar to pay a fine of Rs 2,000 and costs of Rs 1 lakh.
Case Title: In Refrence vs Suman Singh Sikarwar
