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The petitioner contended that Das used false premises to infer a quid pro quo, thereby describing the judiciary as an instrument of party politics
Das alleged that the DA matter was improperly withdrawn from another ‘independent’ bench of the HC in violation of the judicial roster. File pic/Reuters
A Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) youth wing leader has approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court seeking criminal contempt proceedings against Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) co-convener Saurav Das.
The petition, filed by Nitin Garg, State General Secretary of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) Punjab unit, accuses Das of scandalising the judiciary and casting politically motivated motives on a high-stakes verdict concerning state employee allowances. The move comes amid a series of legal challenges against CJP office-bearers over their online commentary.
The Contempt Allegations and Social Media Post
The legal friction centres on an August 20 post shared by Das on social media platform X. The post commented on an August 3 judgment by a bench comprising Chief Justice Ashwani Kumar Mishra and Justice Rohit Kapoor, which directed the Punjab government to release all pending Dearness Allowance (DA) and Dearness Relief (DR) installments to state employees and pensioners.
- Roster Violation Claims: Das alleged that the matter was improperly withdrawn from another “independent” bench in violation of the judicial roster.
- Allegations of Political Alignment: In his post, Das claimed the ruling imposed a financial burden of Rs 20,000 crore on the Punjab government—which he termed a political adversary of the BJP—and linked the judgment to the judge’s subsequent elevation.
- Scandalising the Bench: The petitioner contended that Das used false premises to infer a quid pro quo, thereby describing the judiciary as an instrument of party politics and undermining public faith in the administration of justice.
The Underlying Judgment on State Dues
The High Court’s August 3 ruling had instructed the Punjab state administration to clear pending DA/DR dues for thousands of government workers and retirees, imposing a 6 per cent annual interest rate in case of default.
Crucially, the division bench had also ordered the state government to halt all non-essential and unproductive expenditure, including large-scale advertising campaigns across print and social media, until all pending statutory dues were settled.
Demands in the Petition
Garg’s plea urges the High Court to initiate criminal contempt of court proceedings under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
- Post Takedown: The petition seeks directions for X Corp to remove the controversial post.
- Unconditional Apology: The plea asks the court to compel Das to tender an unconditional apology on X and keep it pinned for at least 30 days.
The petition has been submitted to the High Court registry and awaits formal listing for a preliminary hearing.
Quick Answers
Ask News18Nitin Garg filed the petition accusing Saurav Das of scandalising the judiciary and casting politically motivated motives on a high-stakes verdict. The controversy stems from an August 20 post by Das on X, which alleged that a case regarding state employee allowances was improperly withdrawn from an independent bench in violation of the judicial roster. Das also claimed the ruling, which imposed a Rs 20,000 crore burden on the Punjab government, was linked to the presiding judge’s subsequent elevation.
Ask News18About the Author
Pathikrit Sen Gupta is a Senior Associate Editor with News18.com and likes to cut a long story short. He writes sporadically on Politics, Sports, Global Affairs, Space, Entertainment, And Food. He tra…Read More
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