'Corruption In Judiciary' Remark| Rajasthan HC Issues Notice To CM Ashok Gehlot In PIL For Contempt Case Against Him

The Rajasthan High Court today issued a notice to the State's Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in a PIL plea to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings against him over his alleged 'rampant corruption in Judiciary' remark.

"The contents of the statement, if made by the respondent, prima facie make out a case that it tends to scandalize the Courts because it does not refer to any particular case or category of cases, but general in nature against the judiciary as a whole," the bench of Justice Manindra Mohan Shrivastava and Justice Ashutosh Kumar observed while issuing a notice to him seeking his response over the response attributed to him.

The PIL plea has been filed by a Supreme Court advocate and former Judicial officer Shiv Charan Gupta claiming that the alleged statement of Gehlot amounted to scandalizing & lowering the image of the State Judiciary.

Before the Court, the petitioner submitted that since there is no specific provision contained in the Rajasthan High Court Rules, 1952 providing for the manner or procedure through which suo motu cognizance could be taken, therefore, the petition has been filed bringing to the notice of this Court the information contained in the newspaper which attributes the statement to the respondent. 

In view of this, the Court, issuing notice to CM Gehlot, sought his response in 3 weeks. The matter has now been listed for October 3, 2023.

Case title - Shiv Charan Gupta Advocate vs. Mr. Ashok Gahlot [D.B. Civil Writ Petition No. 13788/2023]

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