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‘Misleading, baseless’: Madhya Pradesh HC rebuts claim about temple in house
Sunday‘s statement by HC registrar general Dharminder Singh came after the bar association president DK Jain claimed the temple was demolished
BHOPAL: The Madhya Pradesh high court administration on Sunday rebutted a claim that an ancient temple at the official residence of chief justice Suresh Kumar Kait was demolished, saying such reports were “entirely false, misleading, and baseless”.
Sunday‘s statement by the high court’s registrar general Dharminder Singh came days after the high court bar association president DK Jain sent out complaints, claiming that the temple had been demolished without following any procedure.
In its statement, Singh said, ”It has come to the attention of the High Court that certain reports are being circulated alleging the removal of a Mandir (Lord Hanuman Mandir) from the Hon’ble Chief Justice’s bungalow. These reports are entirely false, misleading, and baseless. I wish to categorically clarify and refute these claims. The Public Works Department (PWD) has also clarified in the matter and has confirmed that no temple was ever present at the residence of the Hon’ble the Chief Justice”.
The high court called the controversy an attempt to malign the integrity of judicial system.
“The allegations being circulated in some sections of the media are fabricated and appear to be a deliberate attempt to mislead the public and malign the integrity of the judicial system.” He added that such unfounded news constitutes direct interference in the administration of “justice” and may be regarded as “contemptuous” in nature,” he said.
The attempts to create false narratives about the judiciary not only undermine the rule of law but also pose a serious threat to the sanctity of judicial independence, the statement said, according to a PTI report.
These reports serve no purpose other than to discredit the reputation of our judiciary, which remains committed to upholding justice with fairness and impartiality, and media organisations and members of the public are urged to refrain from spreading such defamatory and unverified information, the statement added.
Jain responded to the statement, saying the matter should still be inquired into and he was ready to accept the harshest punishment if he was proven to be wrong.
(with inputs from Monika Pandey from Jabalpur)
