The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court on Thursday sentenced advocate Ashok Pandey to six months of simple imprisonment in a 2021 criminal contempt case. The court found Pandey guilty of using abusive language and making derogatory remarks, including saying that “the judges are behaving like goondas,” during open court proceedings.
A division bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Brij Raj Singh passed the order, directing Pandey to surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate within four weeks. He was also fined ₹2,000. In case of failure to pay the fine within one month, the court said, he would face an additional month of imprisonment.
Along with the jail sentence, the court also served a notice to Pandey asking why he should not be restrained from practising in the Allahabad HC and its Lucknow bench—for a period of three years.
The court directed Pandey to file his reply and appear in person during the next hearing, scheduled for May 1.
The order came in a suo motu criminal contempt case initiated on August 18, 2021, after Pandey’s misconduct during a court hearing.
The court observed that the contempt was not a standalone incident. It listed earlier instances of similar misbehaviour by Pandey, citing a pattern of conduct that undermines the dignity and authority of the court.
{{/usCountry}}The court observed that the contempt was not a standalone incident. It listed earlier instances of similar misbehaviour by Pandey, citing a pattern of conduct that undermines the dignity and authority of the court.
{{/usCountry}}“The primary objective of the contempt jurisdiction is not to protect individual judges, but to maintain public confidence in the judicial system,” the court observed. It further stated that a failure to act firmly in such aggravated cases may embolden others to behave similarly.
The court also instructed that a copy of the judgment be sent to the Registrar General and senior registrars of both benches of the HC for compliance.