BENGALURU: The Karnataka High Court on Friday dropped criminal contempt proceedings against advocate KS Anil from the city, who was taken into judicial custody on February 2, 2023 for one week for committing contempt of court by making baseless allegations against sitting judges as he tendered an apology.
A division bench of Chief Justice Prasanna B Varale and Justice Ashok S Kinagi dropped the proceedings and released him from judicial custody as he filed an affidavit tendering an apology when he was produced before the court. Though he tendered the apology regarding various contempt cases before the high court, the division bench accepted the apology insofar as cases pending before it.
Anil stated in his affidavit that he is a junior advocate from a trial court and suffering from body pain, mental stress, and other ailments. He said that his English is poor and has no guidance from senior advocates while practising at the high court. For this, he tendered his apology to jail authorities on February 7, 2023, Anil pleaded in the affidavit.
The court passed the order on February 2, 2023, sending Anil to judicial custody in criminal contempt proceedings initiated against him in 2019 as he avoided the query of the court and started behaving arrogantly. “Despite our attempts to hear him patiently, the accused started making gestures in court. Hence, he was taken into judicial custody,” the court said.
The court initiated contempt proceedings against Anil, saying the allegations made by him against the four sitting judges of the high court prima facie tended to scandalise the court.