Delhi Govt Gives Consent For Criminal Contempt Action Against CJP's Ratna Singh

The Delhi government's Additional Standing Counsel (Criminal), Amol Sinha, has given consent for initiating criminal contempt proceedings against Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) legal head Ratna Singh over her social media posts targeting a judicial officer in Delhi, news agency PTI reported.

The case relates to Singh's posts on X criticising an order passed by Chief Judicial Magistrate Abhinav Pandey of the Saket courts. The order was issued in proceedings concerning Singh's alleged detention by the Delhi Police.

Sinha's approval followed a complaint by advocate Kausik Chatterjee, who had sought criminal contempt action against Singh in a letter dated October 14. He submitted an additional representation on October 28.

In a communication dated November 2, Sinha granted consent for taking appropriate steps to initiate proceedings under Section 15(2) of the Contempt of Courts Act, PTI reported.

What Did The Government Counsel Say?

Sinha observed that Singh's remarks appeared to go beyond expressing disagreement with a judicial order. According to him, the posts prima facie implied that the magistrate had acted at the direction of an external authority rather than exercising independent judicial discretion.

"The said expressions prima facie suggest that the Judicial Officer was acting under the instructions of an external authority rather than independently exercising judicial discretion in accordance with law," he said.

He added that such allegations could raise questions about the independence and impartiality of judicial proceedings, undermine the authority of the court and erode public confidence in the justice system.

Delhi High Court To Examine The Matter

Sinha clarified that his consent was based only on a preliminary assessment of the allegations and should not be treated as a final finding of criminal contempt.

The consent permits the complainant to take appropriate steps to initiate proceedings. The Delhi High Court will independently examine the matter and decide whether Singh's posts amount to criminal contempt.