LUCKNOW, APRIL 11, 2025– The Allahabad High Court has sentenced Advocate Asok Pandey to six months of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2,000 for criminal contempt of court, citing his repeated use of abusive language against judges and disruptive behavior during court proceedings.
The Division Bench of Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice Brij Raj Singh passed the order while also issuing a show cause notice to Pandey, asking why he should not be barred from practicing before the High Court for three years.
COURT FINDS PATTERN OF DISRESPECT AND MISCONDUCT
The Court found that Advocate Pandey had consistently shown disregard for judicial decorum over the years, with instances of misconduct recorded between 2003 and 2017. The Bench noted:
“Such repeated misconduct shows that the contemnor (Pandey) is not merely misguided but is intentionally engaged in a pattern of behaviour aimed at undermining the authority of this Court. He continues to disregard orders of the Court, refuses to acknowledge the error of his ways, and shows no signs of reform.”
INCIDENT OF AUGUST 2021 SPARKED CONTEMPT PROCEEDINGS
The current case arose from a courtroom incident on August 18, 2021, when Pandey appeared before a Bench comprising Justices Ritu Raj Awasthi and Dinesh Kumar Singh in improper attire—wearing civilian clothes with his shirt unbuttoned.
When advised to dress appropriately, Pandey refused, questioned the Court’s directive, and accused the judges of “behaving like goondas,” using abusive language in open court. The courtroom was reportedly disrupted in front of fellow advocates and litigants.
Two days earlier, on August 16, 2021, Pandey had also shouted disruptively and insisted on being heard as a member of the Awadh Bar Association, once again dressed inappropriately.
NO APOLOGY OR RESPONSE FROM THE CONTEMNOR
Despite being granted multiple opportunities, Pandey failed to respond to the contempt charges. The Court noted:
“Neither any affidavit is submitted, nor any explanation is provided by the contemnor to justify or retract the charges. His persistent noncooperation with the Court, coupled with his silence in response to the specific charges framed, leads us to infer that he has no defense to offer and remains recalcitrant and unrepentant.”
HISTORY OF CONTEMPT AND DEFIANCE
The bench recalled that pandey had previously been barred from entering the high court for two years due to an earlier contempt case. His continued defiance of judicial orders and refusal to express remorse showed a clear pattern, the court observed:
“The above conduct of contemnor clearly shows that he treats the judicial process with utter disdain and continues to undermine the dignity and integrity of the institution with impunity.”
FINAL COURT ORDER AND UPCOMING HEARING
Delivering the final verdict, the Court ordered:
“The contemnor is sentenced to six months’ simple imprisonment and fine of Rs.2000/-. In case of failure to pay the fine within one month from today, the contemnor shall undergo further imprisonment of one month. Contemnor is directed to surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Lucknow within four weeks from the date of this judgment to serve the sentence imposed herein.”
The case will be taken up again on May 1, 2025, to review Pandey’s response regarding the proposed three-year ban on practicing before the Allahabad High Court.
