SC refuses contempt proceedings against litigant who verbally abused CJI, threw papers in courtroom

The Supreme Court on Friday decided not to initiate contempt proceedings against a litigant who threw papers inside the courtroom and verbally abused Chief Justice Surya Kant.

When the hearing began, litigant Prabal Pratap said: “Mr judicial servant, I order you to order the registration of an FIR [first information report] against the assistant commissioner of police of Lucknow…”

Justice KV Viswanathan asked, “You are ordering me? You are ordering us?”

Pratap replied: “That is all from my side. Everything is on record.”

In videos of the proceedings widely shared online, Pratap can be seen throwing the cases papers in the air and is heard verbally abusing Kant in the courtroom, after which he was escorted out of the room by security personnel.

Kant was not part of the bench that was hearing the matter.

The bench of Justices Viswanathan and Alok Aradhe said that Pratap, the litigant who was representing himself in the matter, had made “incoherent and unparliamentary utterances” instead of presenting his case.

However, the judges said that they would not initiate contempt proceedings “considering the condition of the petitioner”. The court did not elaborate on what condition it was referring to.

The bench also refused to interfere with an order of the Allahabad High Court that the petitioner had challenged.

On April 6, the High Court refused to...

Read more