Allahabad High Court Fines Senior Advocates For Baseless Allegations

The Allahabad High Court has imposed a fine on two senior advocates for making baseless allegations against district judges and other judicial officers.

This action comes in response to a review petition filed by 77-year-old Randhir Kumar Pandey of Kanpur, who, despite his age and health, has been fined Rs 1 lakh instead of facing contempt charges.

Justice Neeraj Tiwari delivered the ruling, directing Pandey to deposit the fine with the Registrar General within 15 days.

If Pandey fails to comply, the District Magistrate will recover the amount and deposit it into the High Court Legal Services Committee account.

The court rejected Pandey’s review petition, maintaining that its original order was correct.

The petitioner has rented since 1950 and has a longstanding tenancy dispute with landlord Purushottam Das Maheshwari.

The case has seen multiple appeals and remands, with the latest review petition including serious allegations against the petitioner’s own legal counsel.

During the proceedings, Pandey revealed that his lawyers made statements about vacating the disputed property without his consent.

Furthermore, he levied serious allegations against the District Judge and other judges, attempting to defame the judiciary.

In light of these actions, a senior lawyer recused himself from representing Pandey.

Despite these allegations, the court chose not to initiate contempt proceedings against Pandey due to his advanced age and health.

However, it emphasized the misuse of the judicial process by imposing a fine of Rs 1 lakh.

The court’s decision aims to uphold the integrity of the judiciary while addressing the misconduct observed in this case.

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