NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court had convicted an advocate in a 2006 criminal contempt case, after noting that there is a need to maintain the dignity and reputation of judicial officers and to protect them from motivated, libellous and unfounded allegations.
According to the prosecution the lawyer, Gulshan Bajwa, while appearing in a matter for a client on August 17, 2006, had allegedly threatened a lawyer before the HC bench. When notice was issued to him, he failed to appear. Bajwa then filed applications in the same matter, levelling allegations against the judges of the High Court.
A two-judge bench of the Apex Court, headed by Justice Vikram Nath and also comprising Justice Pamidighantam Sri Narasimha, also upheld the order of the Delhi High Court, which had rejected the apology of the lawyer as it lacked sincerity and was belated and a mere 'lip service'.
The Apex Court, however, considering his age and medical ailments of Bajwa, modified the sentence given to him by the High Court from imprisonment for three months to "till the rising of the court".
Bajwa who was convicted by the Delhi High Court (19 October 2006) of criminal contempt. Bajwa had moved the Supreme Court and filed an appeal challenging the HC's order.