Allahabad High Court restrains lawyer from entering Pilibhit district court for 'persistent acts of alleged contempt'

The Allahabad High Court has temporarily restrained Advocate Santram Rathore from entering the premises of the Pilibhit district courts, until the next date of hearing in a contempt of court case initiated against him. [In Re Santram Rathore].A Bench of Justices Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Syed Aftab Husain Rizvi found that a prima facie case has been made out against Rathore, warranting the initiation of criminal proceedings against him under Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.“In the facts of the case and also considering the persistent act of alleged contempt on part of the opposite party contemnor, we restrain the opposite party from entering the court premises or practicing in District Judgeship, till the next date of listing,” the order stated..The Court has issued notice to Rathore, asking him to show cause as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against him “for creating obstruction in the proceedings of the court, misbehaving the court, using abusive and derogatory language, scandalising the court etc.”.The proceedings were initiated after the Additional Chief Judicial Magistrate (ACJM)-II at Pilibhit forwarded a reference on July 12 to the High Court, reporting that Rathore, who was representing the complainant in a dowry case, used highly derogatory comments against the presiding judge.During a hearing in the dowry case, Rathore is stated to have enquired why so many police personnel were present in the court. As per the reference report, the judge responded that the accused had expressed concerns over a threat to his life as he was roughed up in the court earlier.This statement allegedly enraged Rathore and provoked him into making "highly derogatory comments against the court." As per the reference report, Rathore is also said to have accused the presiding judge of colluding with the accused "by availing gratification." .While this reference was pending, another incident is reported to have occurred in the same court on July 26, when certain women advocates and law students held a protest outside the court and “made derogatory remarks against the presiding officer.”Rathore is alleged to have incited the protest and attempted to pressurise the judicial officer to withdraw the contempt reference earlier made by him. “The presiding officer has also reported in his reference that the contemnor made statements in court that he has faced contempt proceedings earlier also and he does not care for the contempt proceedings initiated against him,” the High Court added in its order.Thus, the Court directed Rathore to be present before it on the next date of hearing..Advocate Sudhir Mehrotra represented the High Court..[Read Order]