Supreme Court Upholds Judicial Integrity Amidst Contempt Claims

The Supreme Court of India has mandated an unconditional apology from a litigant and his legal team to a Telangana High Court judge over unfounded allegations made against them. Chief Justice B R Gavai, along with Justices K Vinod Chandran and Atul S Chandurkar, emphasized that high court judges are not inferior to their Supreme Court counterparts.

The bench expressed concern over a rising trend of unwarranted criticism directed at high court judges, noting that political bias is often perceived whenever a case involves a political figure. The justices stressed that the constitutional scheme grants high court judges the same immunity as those in the Supreme Court, although their decisions may be altered by the latter.

The case in question, a transfer petition filed by N Peddi Raju, accused bias and impropriety against a high court judge who had quashed a criminal case against Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy. The Supreme Court, upholding judicial dignity, highlighted equal accountability for both litigants and lawyers when scandalous petitions are filed.

(With inputs from agencies.)