RAMESHWAR LAXMAN DILWALE IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION RAMESHWAR LAXMAN DILWALE INTERIM APPLICATION NO. 3297 OF 2025 Date: 2025.09.17

17:01:05 +0530 INTERIM APPLICATION NO.3209 OF 2025 INTERIM APPLICATION NO. 2005 OF 2025 IN CRIMINAL SUO MOTU CONTEMPT PETITION NO.1 OF 2025 Nilesh C. Ojha .. Applicant In the matter between High Court of Judicature at Bombay on its own motion .. Petitioner Versus Nilesh C. Ojha & Ors. .. Respondents …

Mr Darius Khambata and Dr Milind Sathe, Senior Advocates and Amici Curiae with Mr Gaurav Srivastav, Mr Aditya Mhase & Ms Rasika Satane, Advocates present.

Mr Nilesh C. Ojha, Respondent No.1 and Applicant in all Interim Applications appeared-in-person with Mr Vijay Kurle, Mr Ishwarlal Agarwal, Mr Partho Sarkar, Mr Abhishek Mishra, Ms Anushka Sonawane, Mr Devkrishna Bhambri, Mr Shivam Gupta, Mr Vikas Pawar, Ms Nicky Pokar, Ms Meena Thakur, Ms Priyanka Sharma, Ms Sonal Manchekar, Mr Sagar Ugle, Ms Nikita Kinjara, Mr Jayendra Manchekar.

Dr Birendra Saraf, Advocate General with Ms M. M. Deshmukh, Additional Public Prosecutor, for Respondent No.3-State.

Mr Anil C. Singh, Additional Solicitor General with Mr Aditya Thakkar, Ms Savita Ganoo, Mr D. P. Singh, Mr Dhaval Shethia, Mr Adarsh Vyas & Ms Rama Gupta, Advocates for Respondent No.2-UoI.

Mr Mahesh Pol with Ms Rutuja Joshi i/by Mr Prasad L.

Gajbhiye, Advocates for Respondent No. 4-BCI.

Dr Uday Warunjikar with Mr Yogendra Rajgor, Advocates, for Respondent No.5-Bar Council of Maharashtra and Goa.

Mr Naushad Engineer, Senior Advocate with Mr Mukul Taly, Mr Ravikumar Kamble, Ms Shifa Quraishi i/by S. Mahomedbhai & Co., Advocates for Respondent No.6-The Bombay Bar Association.

Ms Gunjan P. Shah, Advocate for Respondent No.7-

Advocates’ Association of Western India.

Mr Naresh Thacker with Mr Tanmay Bhave i/by Economic Laws Practice, Advocates for Respondent No.8-Google LLC.

Mr Ashwin Thool with Mr Arshad Gada i/b Desai Desai Carrimjee & Mulla, Advocates for Respondent No. 9.

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Date on which the judgment is reserved : 4^th September 2025 Date on which the judgment is pronounced : 17^th September 2025 CORAM: SHREE CHANDRASHEKHAR, CJ., M. S. SONAK, RAVINDRA V. GHUGE, A. S. GADKARI &

B. P. COLABAWALLA, JJ.

PER, SHREE CHANDRASHEKHAR, CJ.:

INTERIM APPLICATION NO.3297 OF 2025 Before we proceed to deal with this Interim Application, it is necessary to have in mind the background in which Criminal Suo Motu Contempt Petition No.1 of 2025 was instituted against the applicant-contemnor. On 1^st April 2025, the applicant-contemnor, namely, Nilesh C. Ojha held a press conference and made a statement that one of the judges (hereinafter, referred to as “X”) constituting the Division Bench was disqualified from hearing the case because her sister was an accused in the First Information Report filed by his client. That press conference was held by him in connection to Criminal Writ Petition No. 1612 of 2025 filed by Mr Satish Salian seeking an inquiry by the Central Bureau of Investigation into the incident of the death of his daughter in suspicious circumstances. The said writ petition was listed for hearing at serial no.15 on 2^nd April 2025 before a Division Bench of this Court sitting in Court No.43 comprising of “X” and another Judge of this Court. The applicant-contemnor mentioned the matter in Court No.43 and apprised the Bench that the subject-jurisdiction of Criminal Writ Petition No.1612 of 2025 lies before another Bench and, accordingly, an order was passed by the Bench for taking steps by the Registry. In this background, taking cognizance of the conduct of the applicant-contemnor in holding a press conference on the eve of the hearing of the case and the utterances made by him in the press conference, the following order was passed on 8^th April 2025 in Criminal Suo Motu Contempt Petition No. 1 of

2025 :

“A video clip has been brought to the notice of this Court which shows that one Mr.Nilesh Ojha, Advocate held a press conference on 1^st Apri