There is a need to maintain the dignity and reputation of judicial officers and to protect them from motivated, libellous and unfounded allegations, the Supreme Court has said while convicting an advocate in a 2006 criminal contempt case.
A bench of justices Vikram Nath and Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha said the Delhi High Court was correct in rejecting the apology of the lawyer as it lacked sincerity and was belated and a mere ‘lip service’.
However, considering his age and medical ailments, it modified the sentence given to the lawyer by the High Court from imprisonment for three months to “till the rising of the court”. While appearing in a matter for a client on August 17, 2006, advocate Gulshan Bajwa had allegedly threatened a lawyer before the HC bench. When notice was issued to him, he failed to appear. Bajwa then filed applications in the same matter, levelling allegations against the judges of the High Court.
“We are in complete agreement with the decision of the High Court on the need to maintain the dignity and reputation of judicial officers and to protect them from motivated, libellous and unfounded allegations,” the Supreme Court bench said in an order on Tuesday.
The top court said an apology must evidence remorse with respect to the contemptuous acts and is not to be used as a weapon to purge the guilty of their offence.