Supreme Court Slams Trend Of ‘Scandalous Allegations’ Against Judges, Drops Contempt Case After Apology

Last Updated:November 10, 2025, 13:52 IST

The contempt proceedings were initiated after the top court found that the three had made unfounded and scandalous remarks against Telangana High Court judge

File photo of the supreme court (File pic/PTI

The Supreme Court on Monday took strong exception to the growing trend of litigants making “scurrilous and scandalous" allegations against judges when rulings go against them. The observations came from a Bench of Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai and Justice Vinod Chandran while hearing a criminal contempt case against one N Peddi Raju and two advocates, Ritesh Patil and Nitin Meshram, Bar and Bench reported.

The contempt proceedings were initiated after the top court found that the three had made unfounded and scandalous remarks against Telangana High Court judge Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya in a plea seeking transfer of a case to another High Court.

“In the recent past, we have noticed a growing trend of making scurrilous and scandalous allegations against a judge when they don’t pass favourable orders. Such a practice needs to be strongly deprecated," the court observed, according to Bar and Bench.

The top court noted that while lawyers are officers of the court and owe a duty of respect and restraint, it decided not to pursue the contempt case further since Justice Bhattacharya had accepted the apologies tendered by the litigant and his counsel. “The majesty of law does not lie in punishment but forgiving when apology is made. Since the learned Judge of the High Court against whom allegations were made has accepted the apology, we do not proceed further," the court said.

The bench also cautioned lawyers to exercise care and ensure that scandalous allegations do not find their way into pleadings. “However, we add that lawyers, as officers of court, will be careful before signing pleadings which make allegations against judges of this court. With this apology is accepted and the contempt plea is closed," it added, Bar and Bench reported.

Peddi Raju and the two advocates had earlier alleged that there was a “likelihood of derailment of justice" in a case in which Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy received relief from the High Court under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act, Bar and Bench noted.

The allegations were made in a transfer plea before the Supreme Court, which claimed bias on the part of Justice Bhattacharya and complained that Raju’s lawyer was given only five minutes to argue.

The Supreme Court had condemned the accusations and issued contempt notices to Raju and his lawyers. In a hearing on August 11, the bench directed them to apologise before Justice Bhattacharya, leaving it to her discretion to accept or reject the apology. On August 22, Justice Bhattacharya accepted their apologies but also placed on record a rebuttal of the claims made against her.

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