Contempt notices to 2 lawyers over false averments

New Delhi, November 18

The Supreme Court on Friday issued contempt notices to Manohar Lal Sharma and an Advocate-on-Record Deepak Goel for allegedly attributing motives to Madhya Pradesh High Court Chief Justice Ravi Malimath in their petition challenging the HC verdict.

A Bench of Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice Abhay S Oka also issued a contempt notice to Vijay Singh, Assistant Accountant in the Tikamgarh Municipal Council, who had signed the affidavit accompanying the petition. The Bench posted the matter for further hearing on December 5.

“We have little doubt that the endeavour is to scandalise the court…You can’t just attribute motives by quoting some observations. His observations are his personal view. We may not agree with the order, but you can’t do this,” the Bench said, adding it was “greatly troubled” by the averments contained in the petition filed by the Municipal Council of Tikamgarh, Madhya Pradesh.

“Please consider my apology my lords, it was a legal error,” Sharma told the Bench which rejected his apology. “You are harming the litigant by making such averments,” the Bench told the Advocate-on-Record.