Madras High Court hauls up litigant who called Judicial Magistrate a “Bastard” for Contempt of Court [Read Order]

The Madras High Court recently had occasion to draw the curtains on a “legal play” of sorts involving a disgruntled litigant who had called a judicial magistrate a bastard and whose no-onion childhood diet eventually found a place in the judicial order sentencing him for contempt of Court.

The peculiar case was traced back to a civil dispute lost by one, Manoharan, before a District Civil Court. Embittered by his loss, Manoharan is alleged to have berated his legal opponent one night and thereafter shown his private parts to his opponent’s family, including a minor daughter.

This led to a criminal case being lodged against Manoharan. A Judicial Magistrate, K Arunachalam, eventually awarded him a conviction under the Tamil Nadu Prohibition of Harassment of Women Act.

Aggrieved by the same, Manoharan first filed an appeal before the Sessions Court. At the same time, he also approached the Madurai Bench of the High Court to quash the criminal proceedings. However, the High Court’s appeal examiner did not number the petition as he felt the same was not maintainable. Instead, he posted it before the Court for deciding on the issue of maintainability.