Contempt: Delhi High Court Sentences Man To 'Sit In Court Till Rising', Imposes ₹1 Lakh Fine

Holding a man guilty of contempt for filing a writ petition for “personal gain”, the Delhi High Court has sentenced him “remain present in the Court till its rising”.

A division bench of Justice Prathiba M Singh and Justice Amit Sharma ordered the sentencing considering the man's medical condition, age and the fact that he expressed remorse and apologised for his conduct.

“The Contemnor is accordingly sentenced to remain in the Court till the rising of the Court today. In addition, the Contemnor shall deposit a sum of Rs.1 lakh to the Delhi High Court Legal Service Committee,” the court said.

The bench disposed of the suo motu criminal contempt reference that arose from an order passed by a single judge in December 2022.

The man filed a writ petition before the single judge to initiate action against government authorities and two private individuals over alleged unauthorised construction on certain lands.

The private individuals filed an application before the single judge placing on record certain conversations claiming that the man demanded Rs. 50 lakhs for withdrawing the writ petition.

Holding the man guilty of contempt, the court said that the status reports filed by the Delhi Police revealed “quite an alarming situation” wherein the man was in talks for purchase of the property and was in fact trying to drive the price of the land down.

Observing that such conduct of any person to abuse the judicial process cannot be ignored or left unpunished, the court said:

“The law on contempt serves to protect the authority and dignity of the Court against acts that grossly disrespect or impede its functioning. Contemnor's act of filing of the writ petition for personal gain is clearly an attempt to leverage the judicial system for his personal gain. Such acts not only challenge the authority of the Court but also undermine public confidence in the fairness and impartiality of the judicial process.”

While closing the plea, the court said that at the time of signing of the order, the court master informed that the Contemnor was present till the rising of the Court.

Title: COURT ON ITS OWN MOTION v. PRADEEP AGGARWAL

Citation: 2024 LiveLaw (Del) 763

Click here to read order