NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Monday reprimanded a petitioner who sought contempt proceedings against a district court judge for allegedly failing to comply with an apex court order, saying, “This is not how you can treat our judges.”
A bench of Justices B.V. Nagarathna and R. Mahadevan took strong exception to the plea targeting an additional district and sessions judge in Himachal Pradesh. When the petitioner’s counsel attempted to withdraw the contempt plea, the bench refused, stating, “You cannot get away like this. Filing such a contempt petition is itself an abuse of the process of law.”
The Court imposed a cost of ₹5,000, directing the petitioner to deposit it with the Supreme Court Legal Services Authority.
The bench clarified that the petitioner is free to challenge the lower court’s order before the High Court but cannot pursue contempt proceedings against the judge. It also cautioned lawyers against encouraging litigants to file such misguided petitions.
