Kerala Lawyer Seeks AG's Consent To Initiate Criminal Contempt Against Congress's VD Satheesan For Remarks On Ex-CJ

A sanction petition has been moved before the Advocate General of Kerala seeking to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Leader of Opposition V.D. Satheesan for allegedly making derogatory statements against former Chief Justice of Kerala A.J. Desai.

The petitioner in the plea is Ramees P.K., an advocate practicing in the Kerala High Court.

According to the plea, while addressing the press on January 31, 2026, Satheesan made statements that were "irresponsible, derogatory, and contemptuous in nature, directly scandalizing and lowering the authority of the Hon'ble Chief Justice of the High Court of Kerala".

The plea refers to Satheesan's response to a media question regarding an oral observation made by Chief Justice Desai while considering a public interest litigation filed by Satheesan seeking a CBI probe into the conception and execution of the Kerala Fibre Optic Network Project Ltd. (K-FON). The former Chief Justice had orally asked whether the plea was public interest litigation or publicity interest litigation.

Satheesan's reply to the media's question roughly translates to "If it was for publicity, then there was no need for it to be accepted on file. Some Chief Justice had said something in open court."

The plea states that the remarks falls within the meaning of criminal contempt:

"The remarks directly demean the office of the Hon'ble Chief Justice, portray judicial functioning as arbitrary, and suggest that constitutional courts act without deliberation or responsibility. Such remarks squarely attract Section 2(c)(i) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971...The respondent's remarks were conscious, deliberate, and made with full awareness of their public reach and impact. The scale and manner of dissemination have significantly amplified their effect on public perception of the judiciary. These factors are directly relevant in determining whether the statements tend to lower the authority of the court."

The plea further states that the petitioner has obtained video recordings of the press interaction in which the remarks were made and has collected several news reports published in various digital platforms that reproduced the remarks.

The plea makes out a case that the statements made by the leader of the opposition does not constitute fair, reasoned or bona fide criticism of a judicial process. On the other hand, the deliberate nature of the remarks are squarely meant to be detrimental to the administration of justice and strike at the very foundation of public confidence in the justice delivery system, it is stated.

The petition is moved by Advocate Arunkumar A.

Case No: Sanction Petition No. of 2026

Case Title: Ramees P.K. v. V.D. Satheesan