The Allahabad High Court has sentenced local lawyer Ashok Pande to six months in jail in a contempt of court case related to an incident that happened in 2021. The case began after Pande appeared in court without wearing a lawyer’s robe and with his shirt unbuttoned.
A division bench of Justices Vivek Chaudhary and B.R. Singh gave the judgment on Thursday. They said that “an exemplary punishment is warranted” because of the seriousness of the offence, Pande’s past behaviour, and his refusal to take part in the legal proceedings.
The court has also imposed a ₹2,000 fine on Pande along with the jail time. If he fails to pay the fine, he will have to spend one more month in jail. The court has given him four weeks to surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Lucknow.
The court has also issued a show-cause notice to Pande, asking why he shouldn’t be barred from practicing at the Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow bench. He has been asked to reply by May 1.
The contempt case was started by the court itself (suo motu) after Pande’s improper appearance in August 2021. During the hearing, when asked to leave the courtroom, he allegedly called the judges “goondas.”
The court noted that Pande was given several chances to respond to the charges, but he never did. His earlier record was also taken into account, including a two-year ban from court premises in 2017.
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