High Court Judge Recuses From Illegal Mining Case After Alleged Contact Attempt

A High Court case concerning alleged illegal mining has taken a serious turn after a judge recused himself, citing an attempt by an intervenor to contact him directly.

In an order passed on September 1, 2025, Justice Vishal Mishra noted that Sanjay Pathak had tried to reach him over the phone regarding the matter.

“Mr Sanjay Pathak has made an attempt to call me to have a discussion regarding this particular matter; therefore, I am not inclined to entertain this writ petition,” the judge had revealed.

Following this, Justice Mishra recused himself from hearing the case.

The matter originated from a writ petition filed before the High Court seeking action against individuals accused of illegal mining.

The issue was first raised by Ashutosh Dixit, who approached the Economic Offences Wing (EOW) in Bhopal with allegations of wrongdoing.

Dixit later moved the High Court, claiming that the EOW had failed to act promptly. He argued that the agency did not conclude its preliminary enquiry within a prescribed time frame, prompting judicial intervention.

During the proceedings, Sanjay Pathak filed an application to intervene in the case and requested a hearing.

The situation, however, escalated after the alleged attempt to contact the judge came to light.

Dixit filed a separate writ petition seeking judicial cognisance of what he described as an attempt to influence the Court.

Taking note of the seriousness of the allegations, the High Court has now disposed of this plea with a direction to initiate proceedings as a suo motu contempt case.

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