HC orders framing of charges against advocate and ex-BJP minister in contempt case
Shimla, June 27 (UNI) The Himachal Pradesh High Court has rejected the apology tendered by counsel Dhairya Sushant and his father, former BJP minister Rajan Sushant, for allegedly making scandalous allegations against sitting judges on social media. The court has directed that charges be framed against both on July 16 in a suo motu contempt petition.
The division bench of Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan and Justice Sushil Kukreja ruled yesterday that the apology submitted by the respondents lacked sincerity, repentance, or remorse, and appeared to be a tactical move to escape legal consequences.
The case arose from a video posted by Dhairya Sushant on Facebook earlier this year, in which he accused a sitting High Court judge of favoritism and being part of a nexus involving drug dealers, lawyers, and judicial officers.
In the video, he claimed that justice was being delivered on the basis of face value and that the court had failed to act against criminals despite strong evidence.
The court found that both the advocate and his father, Rajan Sushant, had prima facie committed criminal contempt by tarnishing the image of the judiciary and undermining public confidence in the justice system.
Rejecting their last-minute apology submitted through counsel, the bench observed: 'We are convinced that it is a device adopted by the respondents to escape the rigours of the law… There has been no genuine remorse or repentance.'
The High Court said that the apology was nothing more than a 'paper apology' and said it could not be accepted without compromising the dignity of the judiciary. The matter will now be taken up on July 16 for framing of charges.
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