Case: Dinabandhu Sahu Vs. The State of Orissa &amp; Another

having a tendency to scandalise the Orissa High Court and its Honourable Judges, undermining its dignity in the estimation of the public, and impeaching its impartiality in dispensation of justice. As the Stamp Reporter had pointed out among other defects, that no opposite party has been mentioned and that the relief sought for is vague, it was observed that it was not a question of removal of defects but of the petitioners liability in filing such a petition containing derogatory statements and accordingly a notice was directed to be issued against Shri Santosh Kumar Sahu and also against Shri Dinabandhu Sahu as Advocate for the petitioner for supporting the petition and against Shri B. H. Das and Shri S. F. Ahmad, Advocates who along with Dinabandhu Sahu had signed the Vakalatnama in the aforesaid case, to show cause why they should not be committed for contempt. These notices were made returnable on 15-2-68. It is not necessary in view of the statement made by Mr. Chari on behalf of his clients before us to set out the details of what happened on 9-2-68 or 15-2-68 except to say that after the returns were filed and the matter came up on 15-2-68 the learned Chief Justice thought it necessary to give an account of how the "events happened on 26th January 1968 at the function and specifically stated that if he had not listed the case before him, he would not have been in a position to explain the circumstances and remove certain misapprehensions in the mind of the public".2. After this explanation was given the Appellants say that they had stated before the learned Chief Justice and A. Misra, J. who were hearing the petition that they would not have filed the representation petition had they known all the circumstances which were explained by the learned Chief Justice and prayed through Mr. Chari appearing on behalf of the opposite party that they may be forgiven. This fact emerges also from the judgment of the learned Chief Justice who in paragraph 57 said that Mr. Chari appearing on behalf of all the opposite parties asked for forgiveness of the Court as he put it publicly in open Court. The other learned Judge A. Misra, J, also stated that this was so and that it was given particularly in view of the strained relations which existed between the rival political parties and which led to some misunderstanding of the whole situation, but he pointed out that except for this the Respondents at no stage have chosen to express any regret or tender apology. The learned Chief Justice also stated that there was nothing in writing either by way of an apology nor has regret been tendered in the Court. Mr. Chari before us pointed out, with some justification that if all that the Court wanted was a written apology by the Appellants there would have been no hesitation in their giving it as the very cause for their apprehension had been removed, by the explanation given by the learned Chief Justice to remove any misunderstanding in the public mind, which misunderstanding no longer existed after that explanation. Though the case was fully argued, even before as the learned Advocate on behalf of his clients made the following statement expressing their apology:-"My client had already expressed that the misunderstandings which caused them to file the petition - the subject matter of the contempt proceedings had been removed by the explanation given by the learned Chief Justice and stated that if they had known this, they would never have written it. In view of this they had also asked for the forgiveness of the Court out of its generosity. I have, therefore, no hesitation at all in offering unconditional apology on their behalf for having written the petition. On behalf my clients, I again repeat that and tender an unqualified apology for presenting the petition".3. The learned Advocate for the State of Orissa Mr. Chatterjee frankly conceded that having regard to this apology which has again been reiterated the proceedings may be dropped. We think that this is a correct and proper attitude to adopt in respect of these proceedings. Whatever may have been the justification for the High Court to initiate the proceedings in respect of a matter, which in the state of the atmosphere then prevailing was likely to create a suspicion, whether justifiable or imaginary, in the public mind and particularly in the mind of the litigants, by the circumstance that a person who is a Respondents in a case where a judgment was reserved was given prominence and referred to in terms of praise or eulogy, that situation had changed after the learned Chief Justice had given an explanation for the reasons why Dr. Mahtab was given a seat among the few selected persons at the Buffet lunch and other matters incidental thereto. The apology tendered was not merely an apology but was something more than an apology because what was asked of the Court out of its generosity was forgiveness; that this was sincerely meant is amply demonstrated by its being repeated again before us. We think that the contempt if any has been certainly purged in the manner in which the apology was given and the matter should have been set at rest there. It is no part of the judicial function to be vindictive or allow any personal or other considerations to enter in the discharge of its functions and since both the learned Chief Justice and Misra, J. would have been prepared to accept that apology if it was given by the Appellants themselves and in writing and since Mr. Chari said that the Appellants would have been prepared to give such an apology in writing, if that was the only things that was required and even now are ready and willing to do so we feel that the apology tendered on their behalf by their Senior Advocate can well be accepted and the proceedings closed.

Court's decision (1 = petition accepted / positive for appellant, 0 = rejected / negative): 1

Reasoning from the judgment:
1[ds]We think that this is a correct and proper attitude to adopt in respect of these proceedings. Whatever may have been the justification for the High Court to initiate the proceedings in respect of a matter, which in the state of the atmosphere then prevailing was likely to create a suspicion, whether justifiable or imaginary, in the public mind and particularly in the mind of the litigants, by the circumstance that a person who is a Respondents in a case where a judgment was reserved was given prominence and referred to in terms of praise or eulogy, that situation had changed after the learned Chief Justice had given an explanation for the reasons why Dr. Mahtab was given a seat among the few selected persons at the Buffet lunch and other matters incidental thereto. The apology tendered was not merely an apology but was something more than an apology because what was asked of the Court out of its generosity was forgiveness; that this was sincerely meant is amply demonstrated by its being repeated again before us. We think that the contempt if any has been certainly purged in the manner in which the apology was given and the matter should have been set at rest there. It is no part of the judicial function to be vindictive or allow any personal or other considerations to enter in the discharge of its functions and since both the learned Chief Justice and Misra, J. would have been prepared to accept that apology if it was given by the Appellants themselves and in writing and since Mr. Chari said that the Appellants would have been prepared to give such an apology in writing, if that was the only things that was required and even now are ready and willing to do so we feel that the apology tendered on their behalf by their Senior Advocate can well be accepted and the proceedings closed.