The Delhi High Court recently found a man guilty of criminal contempt of court for posting a video on social media alleging that the judges of the Delhi High Court were involved in “illegal acts” and favoring the Delhi Development Authority (DDA) [Sudha Prasad v Uday Pal Singh].
A Division Bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Manoj Jain watched the video and concluded that the accused, Uday Pal Singh, clearly undermined the dignity of the Court.
“The aforementioned expression and the video posted by him on social media demonstrate that the respondent has made contemptuous allegations against the Judges of this Court and has thereby undermined the dignity of the justice delivery system. Accordingly, we hereby find him guilty under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971,” the Court stated.
The Court will reconvene on July 19 to determine the extent of Singh’s sentence.
The Court issued this ruling in response to a criminal contempt petition filed by Sudha Prasad against Uday Pal Singh.
Prasad and Singh had been involved in legal disputes over a property in the New Ashok Nagar area. They were engaged in various civil and criminal proceedings against each other.
On August 24, 2022, Singh posted a video on Facebook and Twitter criticizing the orders issued by the High Court and making allegations against the judges.
Some of Singh’s comments in the video included:
“I do not understand your arrangement with DDA, passing every order in their favor and ruining the public’s hard-earned money by destroying their homes and families.”
“I want to point out that we lack the resources to appeal your orders to the Supreme Court. Yet, you, seated in the seat of justice, which is akin to a divine position in the eyes of litigants, engage in illegal activities day and night.”
“It’s a tradition of the Honorable Justices of Delhi High Court to illegally hand over private land to the DDA.”
Subsequently, Singh offered an unconditional apology, claiming that he did not intend to defame the Court or the judges. He argued that his aim was not to scandalize the judges or undermine the dignity of the Court.
However, the Court dismissed his arguments and ordered him to appear in person on the day of sentencing.
Advocate Gagan Gandhi represented petitioner Sudha Prasad, while advocates Kunal Khanna and Sonia Dhariwal represented Uday Pal Singh.
