Delhi’s Rouse Avenue Court has referred a complainant in a CBI case to the High Court to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against him. The case involves former Punjab DGP Sumedh Singh Saini and other police officers, with the CBI registering the case in 1994.
Special CBI Judge Sunena Sharma made the reference against complainant Ashish Kumar, who had leveled allegations against judicial officers and expressed a lack of faith in the court. The judge noted in the order that Kumar claimed he had no confidence in this court and believed that the matter should not be tried here. Kumar stated, “he has no hope of justice from this court and would wait to die, as only God will give him justice… and that his mother has already expired waiting for justice.”
Kumar also accused the court of being compromised, alleging, “court mei aana band kar dunga, court bik chuki hai, court pehle se faisla likhwa chuki hai saare accused ko bari karne ka” (I will stop coming to court, the court has been compromised, the court has already written the judgment to acquit all the accused). He further claimed, “Aapka transfer bhi High Court Judge Sunil Gaur se manage karwaya gaya hai, kyo ki wo accused SS Saini ka classmate tha” (Your transfer was also managed by High Court Judge Sunil Gaur because he was a classmate of accused SS Saini).
The complainant was repeatedly warned by the court to maintain decorum and avoid creating disturbances, but he continued to scandalize the authority of the court through shouting and inappropriate behavior. The court noted that the allegations made by Kumar were scandalous imputations not only against this court but also against the Hon’ble High Court.
“The dignity of the judicial system cannot be allowed to become a casualty at the hands of such unscrupulous litigants. The conduct of the complainant is blatantly contemptuous, as by raising the above allegations, he has made a wanton attack on the system of administration of justice,” remarked the special judge.
Special Judge Sunena Sharma concluded, “In the aforementioned facts and circumstances of the case, I deem it appropriate to make a reference for criminal contempt against the complainant, Ashish Kumar, to the Honourable Delhi High Court. Let the reference in this regard be separately made.”
Ashish Kumar is a complainant in a 30-year-old case related to the abduction and murder of three people in Ludhiana, Punjab. It is alleged that in the 1990s, his relatives were detained by police officers and never returned. The case was registered against Saini (the SSP) and his team. Kumar had sought a transfer of the case to another judge, but his request was declined by the Principal District and Session Judge, Rouse Avenue Court.
