BJP MLA Sanjay Pathak Faces High Court's Scrutiny in Contempt Case

The Madhya Pradesh High Court has denied a plea from BJP MLA and mining baron Sanjay Pathak to skip his court appearance in a criminal contempt case.

A division bench composed of Chief Justice Sanjeev Sachdeva and Justice Vinay Saraf dismissed the request during proceedings on Thursday. Pathak's lawyer argued for an exemption due to the MLA's hectic schedule, but the court remained firm on its decision.

The charges stem from allegations that Pathak attempted to reach out to Justice Vishal Mishra, who later recused himself to preserve judicial impartiality in a related illegal mining case involving Pathak. The court emphasized the sanctity of judicial processes by launching contempt proceedings on April 2, against which no personal appearance exemption was granted.

(With inputs from agencies.)