HC notice to Gehlot over judicial corruption remark

The Rajasthan High Court has issued a show-cause notice to Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot on a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking suo moto criminal contempt proceedings against him over his “corruption” in the judiciary remarks.

The litigation was filed by local advocate Shivcharan Gupta on Thursday following Gehlot’s remark alleging corruption in the country’s judiciary.

A division bench headed by Justice MM Shrivastava and Justice Ashutosh Kumar heard the matter on Saturday and issued the notice to Gehlot, directing him to respond within three weeks.

“The contents of the statement, if made by the respondent (Gehlot), prima facie make out a case that it tends to scandalise the Courts because it does not refer to any particular case or category of cases, but general in nature against the judiciary as a whole,” the Court was quoted as saying in the order by Bar and Bench.

While talking to reporters in Jaipur on Wednesday, the Chief Minister said, “Corruption is rampant in the judiciary today. I have heard that some lawyers themselves take the judgment in writing and the same judgement is pronounced.”

However, after facing criticism, Congress leader Gehlot later clarified that what he had said was not his personal opinion and that he has always respected and believed in the judiciary.

On Friday, work was affected in the lower courts of Jodhpur and the high court as advocates launched a one-day strike against Gehlot’s remark.

Offended by the statement, lawyers had announced the daylong strike across all courts in Jodhpur, where the main bench of the Rajasthan High Court is located.

President of the Rajasthan High Court Lawyers Association Ravi Bhansali said there are nearly 10,000 advocates in Jodhpur and they all have voluntarily boycotted work. “The chief minister has made an insulting remark against the judiciary and advocates are not working today as a symbolic protest for a day,” he had said.

With inputs from News18