Delhi High Court Issues Contempt Notice To Lawyer For Creating Ruckus In Courtroom, Verbally Attacking Judge

The Delhi High Court has issued a show cause notice to a lawyer asking why criminal contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him for disrupting judicial proceedings, verbally attacking a sitting judge and creating unruly scenes in her courtroom. 

A division bench of Justice Siddharth Mridul and Justice Talwant Singh issued the notice to lawyer Shakti Chand Rana and directed him to remain present in the court on January 30, 2023, the next date of hearing.

The suo motu case was initiated against Rana for allegedly obstructing proceedings in the courtroom of Justice Manmeet Pritam Singh on December 14, as a result of which the cases were not heard from 11.30 AM to 12:15 PM.

Justice Singh in her order said that Rana's actions amounted to contempt of court and were a calculated attempt to erode confidence of public in the administration of justice.

As per the order, Rana verbally attacked Justice Singh and the staff members by stating that an FIR was lodged against him because of the court after an adjournment was granted in his rent revision matter on December 12.

The order further records that Rana said that he was to remain present in a criminal case before the Saket court and consequently, made a call to the IO informing him that he was present in the courtroom and that he could come to the court to arrest him.

"The said individual did not have any matter listed on today's Board for hearing. Given the said fact, this Court directed the said individual to remove himself from the lawyers' Bar and permit the Court to continue with the hearing in the listed matters and allow the other learned lawyers to argue their cases, as per their listed matters. However, the said individual outrightly refused to remove himself and continued to shout, shriek and create an unruly scene, disrupting the Court proceedings," the order says.

The order further adds that while Rana was being taken out from the courtroom, he started yelling that if he commits suicide, the entire judiciary will be responsible for his death. The judge also recorded that in order to resist being removed from the court, Rana tried to lie down on the floor and had to be dragged and removed physically.

Noting that Rana's outburst in court was unwarranted, Justice Singh said that prima facie, it was evident that Rana was avoiding his presence before the Saket court and deliberately disrupted the judicial proceedings.

"His remarks and conduct were intended to scandalize this Court, to lower the authority of this Court and to undermine the estimation of the public at large towards the judicial administration mechanism. Prima facie, the conduct of the said individual tantamounts to contempt, criminal in nature, in the face of the Court," the order adds.

Justice Singh said Rana's conduct was unbecoming for a lawyer and further amounted to criminal contempt in the face of the court, which is punishable under section 14 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.

"Regrettably and alarmingly despite the ruckus being created by the said errant individual who was virtually holding the Court to ransom, the security guards stationed right outside the door of the Court room, were also hesitant to remove the said errant person because he was dressed in the robes of a lawyer and thus, unable to restore order in the Court room, which further undermined the authority of the Court in the perception of public at large," the order states.