The Punjab and Haryana High Court has imposed a ₹10,000 cost on a woman who accused a judge of bias in a domestic violence case.

The Punjab and Haryana High Court recently imposed a ₹10,000 cost on a woman for accusing a trial court judge of bias in her domestic violence case. Justice Sumeet Goel stated that the woman must pay the costs and provide proof of payment to continue pursuing her case before the trial court.
The Court emphasized that if the woman failed to deposit the required amount, her petition under Section 12 of the Protection of Women from Domestic Violence Act, 2005, would be dismissed by the trial magistrate.
The woman had filed the petition to transfer her case to another judge, alleging that the trial magistrate was biased against her. Her counsel claimed that the judge’s orders reflected this bias. However, the High Court disagreed, ruling that dissatisfaction with an order was not a valid reason for seeking a case transfer.
Justice Goel also rejected the woman’s accusation that the accused party was influencing the magistrate, calling it “frivolous” and unsupported by any solid evidence. The Court condemned the attempt to tarnish the integrity of the trial magistrate.
In light of the woman’s age (44) and the marital nature of the dispute, the Court imposed a ₹10,000 cost, showing some leniency in its decision. Advocate Rahul Sharma represented the petitioner.