1 SMCP.10-10 IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT BOMBAY CRIMINAL APPELLATE JURISDICTION SUO MOTU CRIMINAL CONTEMPT PETITION NO.10 OF 2010 High Court on its own motion. ..Petitioner. Vs. Pradeep Pandurang Suryawanshi, Police Inspector. ..Respondent. .......... Mr.S.V. Marwadi, Advocate appointed as amicus curiae for the Petitioner. Mr.D.V. Mirajkar, Advocate for respondent-contemnor. Mr.J.P. Yagnik, A.P.P. for the State. .......... CORAM : A.M. KHANWILKAR AND A.R. JOSHI, JJ. DATE OF RESERVING THE ORDER : 18TH JANUARY, 2011. DATE OF PRONOUNCING THE ORDER : 04th FEBRUARY, 2011 ORAL ORDER (PER A.R.JOSHI,J.) : 1. Heard rival submissions on this Suo Motu Contempt Petition initiated on the letter addressed by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate, Railway Court, Andheri imputing certain allegations against the Contemnor – P.I. Shri Pradip Suryawanshi, then attached to Andheri Police Station. PPD 2 SMCP.10-10 2. Mrs.R.K. Shaikh, Metropolitan Magistrate, Railway Mobile Court, Andheri, Mumbai vide her letter dated 26th February, 2009 made representation to this Court for taking action against the Contemnor for illegal activities and giving threats to her. 3. In order to appreciate the grievance made by the concerned Metropolitan Magistrate vide her letter dated 26th February, 2009, certain background is required to be mentioned in nutshell. Criminal Writ Petition No.2473/2006 was preferred by one Shri Ramprasad Gupta, an Advocate by profession for directions to the Police to investigate in the matter of alleged encounter of his brother one Ramnarayan Gupta. On 11.11.2006 or thereabout said Ramnarayan Gupta was fatally injured in a gunfire opened by a team of police officials, led by present contemnor P.I. Suryawanshi. Said alleged encounter occurred in Seven Bungalow area in Versova, Andheri (W). 4. In Writ Petition No.2473/2006 Magisterial enquiry was directed under Section 176(1A) of the Cr.P.C.. Said enquiry was conducted by learned Metropolitan Magistrate, Railway Mobile Court, Smt.R.K. Shaikh as within territorial jurisdiction of said Andheri Mobile Court the incident of encounter took place. 3 SMCP.10-10 5. What was observed by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate that it was a case of custodial death and accordingly report was submitted before this Court. 6. Criminal Writ Petition No.580/2009 was filed by Shri Ramprasad Gupta, who had preferred earlier Criminal Writ Petition No.2473/2006. Said Writ Petition was filed apprehending danger to his life at the hands of the police officials who were involved in the encounter of his brother. Protection was also sought as one of the reliefs. While dealing with the said Writ Petition, another Division Bench of this Court (of which one of us was the Member), made following observations. The observations contained in para No.3 of the order dated 21.7.2009 in Criminal Writ Petition No.580 of 2009 are reproduced hereunder with advantage as this was the initiation of the contempt proceedings against the present Contemnor. Said observations are as under : "3. In the meantime, we have seen from the file that a letter has been written to the Registrar of this Court by concerned Magistrate on 26th February, 2009. It appears that before this letter, she had also given a report to the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate, Mumbai. In this letter, she complained that after she 4 SMCP.10-10 gave a report against Mr.Suryavanshi, Suryavanshi has been pressurizing people to make complaint against the Magistrate, she also mentioned that she was given threats on telephone and the telephone of A.P.P. was used for that purpose. She was allegedly told, "I will see her and her children". She mentioned in her application that the President of Andheri Bar Association Mr.Balwant Patil had told her that Mr.Suryavanshi had put up blank paper before him and asked him to sign on it, so that he can make a complaint against the Magistrate. Prima facie this is a gross contempt of Court by Mr.Suryavanshi and also by the A.P.P. who is not named by the Magistrate in the complaint. Thereafter, the Magistrate was asked to give the name of A.P.P. on whose telephone she received the threatening calls." 7. By the above observations dated 21.7.2009 it was thought appropriate to issue notice to the Police Officer Shri Pradip Suryawanshi to show cause as to why contempt proceedings should not be proceeded against him. 8. Present Contemnor filed his affidavit raising following points : i. Complaint by learned Metropolitan Magistrate appeared to be the result of some serious misunderstanding. 5 SMCP.10-10 ii. The apprehension expressed by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate was unwarranted as there were no express or implied threats extended by the Contemnor. iii. The Contemnor had not acted in any manner as alleged by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate and his alleged actions were not at all directed against the learned Metropolitan Magistrate or any of her family members. iv. Contemnor had talked with the A.P.P. of the said concerned Metropolitan Magistrate Court and it was regarding asking for the certified copies of the report of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate. v. Intransigence of learned Metropolitan Magistrate's orderly who has not joined his new posting as L.A. Division IV. 9. In the meantime, directions were given in the earlier Writ Petition No.2473/2006 to investigate the matter of alleged murder of Ramnarayan Gupta, brother of the Writ Petitioner. Special Investigation Team [SIT] was set-up and directions were given to report the progress to the High Court. Consequently Versova Police registered Crime and arrested several Police Officers. Present 6 SMCP.10-10 Contemnor was also arrested sometime in March, 2010. Since then the said contemnor is in jail and is presently under suspension. Chargesheet was filed under Section 173(2) of Cr.P.C. and case was committed to the Court of Sessions being Sessions Case No. 317 of 2010. Same is awaiting trial and disposal. 10. Prior to above, in December, 2009 the Advocates who were named in the written complaint of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate dated 26.2.2009 were called before the High Court and after their examination, the learned Metropolitan Magistrate was directed to furnish better particulars of her complaint. 11. An independent disciplinary enquiry was initiated against the present contemnor and in which his two annual increments were stopped. The witnesses mentioned in the letter of learned Metropolitan Magistrate were sought as the witnesses in the disciplinary enquiry. They were Advocate Balwant Patil. President of Andheri Bar Association, Adv. Chandrashekhar Patil, Assistant Public Prosecutor, then attached to the Court of said learned Metropolitan Magistrate & James Scaria landlord of the building where the learned Metropolitan Magistrate had residential accommodation. Apparently only one document i.e. written 7 SMCP.10-10 complaint of learned Metropolitan Magistrate was relied during the said disciplinary enquiry. 12. As mentioned earlier, on directions from High Court, learned Metropolitan Magistrate furnished the better particulars. Therein a reference was made to one Moulana. It was alleged in the better particulars that the said Moulana was enquired by the present Contemnor regarding his acquaintance and association with learned Metropolitan Magistrate. 13. Present Contemnor filed additional affidavit rebutting the allegations made against him in the better particulars furnished by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate. 14. Defence of Contemnor taken against the allegations mentioned in the better particulars and in the earlier complaint of learned Metropolitan Magistrate is as under : i] For the same allegations imputed against the Contemnor departmental enquiry was held by the Deputy Commissioner of Police and in which the same witnesses were examined who are named in the complaint and better particulars of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate and said disciplinary enquiry ended in only stoppage of two increments for indulging in the act of 8 SMCP.10-10 official impropriety and nothing else. 15. Reference to these disciplinary enquiry proceedings is made for the reason that a sort of defence is taken by the Contemnor that the witnesses named by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate in her reports did not support her version and as such apart from stopping his two increments no much serious punishment was inflicted on him. On this aspect, whether or not disciplinary enquiry ended in any serious punishment or for that matter any punishment is not material so far as dealing with the contempt proceedings before us. It is to be seen whether on the material produced in the present contempt proceedings whether it is a case in which conviction can be awarded against the Contemnor even after considering his defences. That analysis is done hereafter at the appropriate place. 16. In order to appreciate the rival submissions, it would be advantages to know as to what is "Criminal Contempt". Criminal contempt is defined as per Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 and which reads as follows : "2(c) "criminal contempt" means the publication (whether by words, spoken or written, or by signs, or 9 SMCP.10-10 by visible representation, or otherwise) of any matter or the doing of any other act whatsoever which -- (i) scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court; or (ii) prejudices, or interferes or tends to interfere with, the due course of any judicial proceeding; or (iii) interferes or tends to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice in any other manner;" 17. Considering the matter at hand, in view of the written report sent by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate, Section 2(c) (iii) is attracted in the present matter as to Contemnor interfering or tend to interfere with, or obstructs or tends to obstruct, the administration of justice. 18. In order to ascertain whether the conduct of the Contemnor attract the said definition of "Criminal Contemp", the following material is available before us to be scrutinized : i. written representation and better particulars given by learned Metropolitan Magistrate mainly alleging that when Shri Chandrashekhar Patil, A.P.P. had visited her in Chamber she over-heard the offending telephonic talk between the 10 SMCP.10-10 Contemnor and the said Shri Chandrashekhar Patil. ii. that version of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate is supported by the statement of A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil. 19. As against the above, the defence of Contemnor is already detailed in the earlier paragraph inasmuch as : a. the learned Metropolitan Magistrate misunderstood the conversation after over-hearing same; b. there was no express or implied threat directly given to the learned Metropolitan Magistrate; c. contemnor though had a talk with A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil, he merely enquired regarding certified copies of the report given by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate; d. the allegations of learned Metropolitan Magistrate regarding alleged threats and allegations against his conduct of gathering material against the learned Metropolitan Magistrate, is not supported by any witnesses who were examined in disciplinary enquiry; 11 SMCP.10-10 20. So far as the first objection as to misunderstanding, it must be said that the material available on record by way of written version of learned Metropolitan Magistrate is fortified by the statement of the A.P.P.. On this aspect, certain factual position is required to be mentioned to the effect that A.P.P Shri Chandrashekhar Patil in his statement recorded by the Assistant Commissioner of Police dated 5.3.2009 specifically mentioned to the effect, "eWMeus fjiksVZ ikBfoyk] vkeps okVksGs >kkys] eh c?krks rs] eyk R;kph uDdy n;k;yk lkaxk" [Madam has sent report. We are ruined. I will see that. Tell her to give me copy thereof]. At the end of said statement A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil further mentioned, "mijksDr izlaxkus o oiksfu lq;Zoa'kh ;kauh R;kaP;k eqykaP;k dsysY;k pkSd'kheqGs eWMe lk/kkj.k : 2 / 3 efgus ekufld r.kkok[kkyh fnlr vkgsr" [because of the said incident and the enquiry made by Senior Police Inspector Suryawanshi about her children, Madam was seen under mental stress for 2/3 months]. The above statements of A.P.P. corroborate the submission of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate as to Contemnor made a telephone call to A.P.P while the A.P.P. was in her Chamber who in turn had put the speaker of the telephone on which enabled her to 12 SMCP.10-10 overhear the talk between the Contemnor and the A.P.P.. The contents of the talk are spoken by the Magistrate and reinforced from the statement of the A.P.P. Making of such call by Contemnor at the relevant time to the A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil is also established by prima facie availability of telephone log entry which is annexed to the present proceedings. Viewed thus, there is no merit in the stand taken by the Contemnor about likelihood of any misunderstanding. 21. Second point raised by the Contemnor as to no implied or express threat given to the learned Metropolitan Magistrate directly, will not have much significance when it was the threat expressed over the telephone call, as mentioned above, when Contemnor had a talk with A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil and such conversation was over-heard by learned Metropolitan Magistrate as the said episode happened in her chamber. 22. So far as the third point raised by the Contemnor that he made a benign enquiry only asking for availability or otherwise of the certified copy of the report of the learned Metropolitan Magistrate, cannot be accepted again for the same reason as to corroborative evidence of A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil. 13 SMCP.10-10 23. So far as the last point raised by the Contemnor is concerned, again at the cost of repetition it must be said that what the witnesses stated during the disciplinary enquiry against the Contemnor, is not of much relevance and what is material is the statement of learned Metropolitan Magistrate corroborated by the statement of A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil; and as such considering the overall effect of the defence raised by the Contemnor, in our considered view, we unhesitatingly accept the material produced by the learned Metropolitan Magistrate, over submissions on behalf of the Contemnor. 24. The allegations as to interfering in the administration of justice process by way of giving threats to the Judicial Officer is definitely a serious matter, more so, when such threats are coming from a responsible senior Police Officer i.e. Contemnor in the present case. On this aspect, following observations from the Authority "King v. Davies, 1906 1 KB 32 (40) are reproduced with advantage : "175. Attacks on Judge Cause Obstruction in Justice Attacks upon the Judges excite in the mind of 14 SMCP.10-10 the people a general dissatisfaction with all the judicial determination and whenever man's allegiance to the laws is so fundamentally shaken it is the most fatal and dangerous obstruction of justice and calls out for a more rapid and immediate redress than any other obstruction whatsoever; not for the sake of judges as private individuals but because they are the channels by which the King Justice is conveyed to the people;" 25. Considering the above, in our opinion, the present Contemnor is to be dealt with sternly when the acts imputed against the Contemnor are established in present contempt proceedings being a summary proceedings which can be decided on the strength of the papers available including the statement of A.P.P. Shri Chandrashekhar Patil. More so, because the Contemnor has taken defence which to say the least is after thought and untenable. 26. In view of the above, we hold the Contemnor guilty of committing criminal contempt and direct him to suffer simple imprisonment for three months and to pay fine of Rs.2000/- [Rs.Two Thousand Only]. 15 SMCP.10-10 27. This order be communicated to the Contemnor who is presently lodged at Thane Central Prison and action be taken accordingly for execution of this order. Copy of this order be also forwarded to the Secretary, Home Department, State of Maharashtra for information and necessary action. 28. The Court expresses a word of gratitude to the learned amicus curiae for his able assistance for espousing the cause of the petitioner. (A. R. JOSHI, J.) (A. M. KHANWILKAR, J.)