Delhi HC Division Bench Recuses From Hearing Its Former Judicial Officer's Contempt Plea Against Senior Lawyer

A division bench of the Delhi High Court on Thursday recused itself from hearing a criminal contempt plea filed by retired judicial officer Sujata Kohli against former High Court Bar Association President Rajiv Khosla.

The bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Amit Sharma has now listed the matter before another bench for directions, subject to orders of the Chief Justice.

"At the request of Ms. Kohli who appears in person, in order to obviate any possibility of alleged bias, we consider it appropriate to recuse from hearing the proceedings," the bench said.

The bench was seized of the matter since February this year.

On October 29 last year, a trial court convicted Khosla for assaulting Kohli when she was a practicing lawyer in the year 1994 at Tis Hazari Courts. She later became a judge in the Delhi judiciary and retired as District and Sessions Judge. In her complaint, she had alleged that Khosla pulled her hair, twisted her arms, dragged her by hair and threatened her.

In the contempt plea before the High Court, Kohli alleged that Khosla, by a series of acts & words, had directly interfered with administration of justice and scandalised the court on its face during the sentencing proceedings. Khosla was let off with a fine of Rs 40,000 after the conviction.

Kohli in the contempt plea has alleged that certain unfortunate series of events transpired during the hearings before the Trial Court specifically on 27th and 30th November, 2021.

It was alleged that on 27th November, 2021, while Kohli was linked through virtual mode, she saw that the courtroom was jam-packed with lawyers shouting slogans and telling the chief metropolitan magistrate that he had passed the conviction judgment under Kohli's pressure since she had previously been a District Judge.

The contempt plea was moved under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, with the consent of the Standing Counsel of the State for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Khosla.

Case Title: Sujata Kohli v. Rajiv Khosla