Today, On 29th July, CJI Gavai has issued contempt notices to a lawyer and litigant for making defamatory remarks against Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, stating that the judiciary will not allow judges to be unfairly targeted with baseless allegations.
New Delhi: The Supreme Court of India has taken serious note of offensive and baseless comments made against Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, a sitting judge of the Telangana High Court.
Earlier, the Court issued contempt notices to a litigant named Peddi Raju, along with two lawyers Ritesh Patil and the Advocate-on-Record involved in the case for making defamatory allegations in court documents.
Chief Justice of India, B.R. Gavai led Bench heard the matter.
CJI Gavai strongly criticised the conduct of the lawyers and the litigant, saying,
“The judiciary cannot allow judges to be unfairly targeted or subjected to baseless allegations. While our intent was to safeguard lawyers, such conduct against judicial officers cannot be tolerated.”
The case is linked to a political matter involving Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy, who had earlier received relief from the Telangana High Court. The High Court had dismissed a case filed against him under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
That dismissal was later challenged, and during those proceedings, the pleadings filed by the petitioners made serious accusations against Justice Bhattacharya.
The Supreme Court, after reviewing the content of the petition, observed that it included “scandalous and baseless allegations” against the High Court judge.
It concluded that not just the litigant, but also the lawyers involved, were responsible for contempt of court.
An order was passed by the Supreme Court issuing notices to all the persons involved. They have now been asked to explain why contempt proceedings should not be started against them.
The matter is scheduled to come up again on August 11 for further hearing.
The Court also addressed the issue of apology. It said that even if the parties submit an apology, it would not be accepted at face value. The Court would closely examine “its sincerity” before giving any relief.
Earlier, during the hearing, when the Supreme Court expressed strong displeasure over the kind of language used in the pleadings, the lawyers involved asked for permission to withdraw the controversial portions. However, the Court rejected this request.
Meanwhile, the High Court judge, Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya, continues to hear the main case, which remains pending before her.
During the Supreme Court proceedings, the lawyer appearing for the petitioner made a last-minute attempt to take back the petition by saying,
“Allow me to withdraw mylord.”
But the CJI immediately responded,
“Appeal to withdraw dismiss.”
The Chief Justice also gave a stern remark to the young lawyer involved.
He said,
“You’re such young lawyer, don’t you read before filing such petitions.”
The lawyer then said regretfully,
“Mylord this first and last in my life filing such petition.”
With this, the Supreme Court made it clear that any attempt to attack the integrity of judges through irresponsible statements or court filings would be dealt with firmly. The Court is now moving ahead with contempt proceedings against the concerned individuals, sending a strong message in defence of the judiciary’s dignity.
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