New Delhi: The Delhi High Court has issued a show cause notice for criminal contempt to a litigant who made whimsical and objectionable allegations against a judge of the court, government officials, and the Supreme Court.
The litigant, Naresh Sharma, had sought the death penalty for the single judge for dismissing his pleas.
Sharma's appeals, challenging the single judge's order passed on July 20, were heard by a division bench consisting of Chief Justice Satish Chandra Sharma and Justice Sanjeev Narula.
In his submissions before the single judge, Sharma alleged that numerous government organisations, including prestigious institutions like IIT, AIIMS, and IIMs, were "criminal" and accused them of sedition.
He contended that there should be a legal option for such organisations to disobey the government and unite against it.
Sharma further argued that his fundamental right under Article 21 of the Constitution of India, which includes the right to have public organisations that are not criminally established, was being violated.
In his appeal, Sharma demanded that the single judge be "criminally charged" for issuing a "meaningless, defamatory, criminal, seditious judgment", and he even asked for the death penalty in his prayer.
The division bench deemed these allegations as "prima facie aimed at scandalising and lowering the authority of the Court" and that they were made with a "malafide intention to interfere with the administration of justice".
The bench then issued a show-cause notice to Sharma, asking him to explain why proceedings for criminal contempt should not be initiated against him under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
Sharma has been directed to file a reply to the show-cause notice by September 18, also the next date of the hearing.
—IANS