The Delhi High Court has summoned a lawyer to explain why contempt of court proceedings should not be initiated against him for posting contemptuous comments on the chat box during video conference hearings. This action stems from comments made by Advocate Sanjeev Kumar during a virtual hearing on May 6 in the case of Sanjeev Kumar vs State NCT of Delhi.
Justice Anoop Kumar Mendiratta issued the order after noting Kumar’s comments, which included remarks like “But this court is slow to hear my cases Jo darta hai, wo kabhi justice nhi kar payega (one who has fear will not be able to do justice).”
The court observed that as a practicing lawyer, Kumar was expected to maintain decorum but had not shown any remorse and instead stood by his comments.
Earlier, in January, Kumar’s petition against a trial court’s order was dismissed with a cost of ₹25,000. Subsequently, he filed a review petition against the order.
After being asked to explain his comments on May 9, Kumar informed the court that he would withdraw his review petition and approach the Supreme Court instead.
Justice Mendiratta emphasized that while Kumar has legal remedies available, this does not give him the liberty to make contemptuous allegations and undermine the authority of the court.
The court noted that Kumar’s comments were intended to interfere with judicial proceedings and could be construed as criminal contempt under Section 14 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
Kumar has been directed to file his reply within three days, and the matter is scheduled for a hearing on Wednesday.
