‘Slap, Say Sorry And Forget’ Practice By Contemnors Unacceptable: Madhya Pradesh HC [Read Order]

While sentencing a person accused of contempt to six months’ imprisonment, the High Court of Madhya Pradesh observed that “slap, say sorry and forget” practice by some contemnors cannot be accepted and cannot be allowed to go scot-free by a simple ‘paper apology’.

The court was considering a contempt case wherein the contemnor wherein he was accused of filing false and frivolous complaints against the judges and deliberately and mischievously adopted such a practice to routinely obtain adjournments of his cases and to intimidate and threaten the judges from proceeding against him.

The court observed that the contemnor was making working of the lower courts practicably impossible and extremely taxing for the judges of the lower judiciary all over the state as well as for the judges of high court.

Though the contemnor filed an apology before the court, it refused to accept and observed: “If we accept such a false “paper apology” it would shake the public confidence in the judicial system and would also result in erosion and lowering of the dignity and authority of the Court as well as the judicial system in the eyes of the public at large.”