The judgment highlights the gravity of contempt for derogatory statements against judicial authority, emphasizing accountability under the Contempt of Courts Act.

JUDGMENT :

P.VELMURUGAN, J.

This Suo Motu Contempt Petition has been initiated by this Court against the contemnor as per the order dated 17.02.2020 of the Hon’ble Chief Justice in R.O.C. No.1278/2020/OS.

2. The contemnor had originally filed a writ petition in W.P.No.24580 of 2017 before this Court and the same came to be dismissed by order dated 12.11.2019. While dismissing the said writ petition, this Court had taken serious note of the nature of allegations and imputations made by the contemnor against the judicial institution and the learned Judges. In view of the scandalous averments and the tenor of the pleadings, this Court had observed that the conduct of the contemnor warranted initiation of appropriate contempt proceedings. Since the said order forms the very foundation for initiation of the present suo motu contempt proceedings, it would be appropriate to refer to the same. Accordingly, the entire order dated 12.11.2019 passed in the writ proceedings is extracted hereunder :-

"The petitioner has filed this writ petition as a party-in-person.

2.When this case was listed on 22.10.2019, the party-in-person was not present before this Court. Therefore, this Court adjourned the case to 05.11.2019 and directed the Registry to inform the party-in-person over phone, about the listing of this case. Accordingly, the Registry sent an SMS to the party-in-person on 22.10.2019 at 04.25 p.m., informing him that this case is posted to 05.11.2019. When the case was listed on 05.11.2019, again, the party-in-person was not present and therefore, this Court posted the case under the caption "for dismissal" today.

3.Today, the party-in-person is present. He harangued that he will not make his submissions before this Bench, because, one of us (P.N.Prakash, J.) has committed genocide and crime against humanity on a scale unknown to mankind. He further stated that he has filed a case against one of us (P.N.Prakash, J.) and on that score, this Bench should not hear this case.

4.Under normal circumstances, this Court would have gladly recused itself from hearing this case. This is not a solitary attempt by the present party-in-person to intimidate the Judges of this Court and successfully prevent them from hearing his cases. He has adopted these tactics with more than 20 Judges of this Court and has ensured that they had recused themselves from hearing his cases. It is high time that this Court puts a full stop to such pernicious techniques. This case has been posted before us as a specially ordered case by the Hon'ble Acting Chief Justice, who was the master of the roster.

5.When this Court told him that he may have to face action for contempt of Court, he stated that he is ready to face any action and that he will challenge it before the Supreme Court and get justice therefrom.

6.Therefore, in view of the recalcitrant attitude of this litigant, this writ petition stands dismissed. Costs made easy. Connected miscellaneous petition is closed.

With regard to initiation of action for contempt of Court, the Registry is directed to place this matter before the Hon'ble The Chief Justice for appropriate orders.

A reading of the above order would clearly show that this Court had, even at that stage, taken serious note of the conduct of the contemnor and the nature of the allegations made by him and had observed that such conduct warranted initiation of appropriate contempt proceedings. Pursuant to the observations made in the aforesaid order, suo motu contempt proceedings came to be initiated.

3. Thereafter, the contempt petition was listed before the Division Bench comprising the Hon’ble Mr.Justice P.N.Prakash and the Hon’ble Ms.Justice R.N.Manjula, and by order dated 04.10.2021, the learned Judges considered the conduct of the contemnor. Taking note of the repeated allegations made by the contemnor and the manner in which he had conducted himself before this Court, the learned Judges framed charges against the contemnor. For the sake of better appreciation,