The Jharkhand High Court has initiated suo motu contempt of court proceedings against advocate Mahesh Tewari following a heated verbal exchange between him and Justice Rajesh Kumar during a hearing on October 16.
A video of the incident, which later went viral on social media, showed Tewari telling the judge, “Sir, please don’t try to humiliate any person… The country is burning. The country is burning with the judiciary.”
His remarks, perceived as contemptuous, prompted the High Court to take immediate cognisance of the matter.
A five-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Tarlok Singh Chauhan, Justice Sujit Narayan Prasad, Justice Rongon Mukhopadhyay, Justice Ananda Sen, and Justice Rajesh Shankar convened on Friday to examine the issue.
After hearing the matter, the bench directed advocate Tewari to file his reply within three weeks.
According to lawyers present in court, the incident occurred while Tewari was arguing for the restoration of his client’s electricity connection, which had been cut off over unpaid dues.
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During the hearing, Justice Kumar referred to a judicial precedent that required payment of 50 per cent of the pending amount for reconnection. Tewari initially offered to deposit Rs 25,000 but later agreed to pay Rs 50,000 to resolve the case.
The tension escalated after the case concluded, when Justice Kumar reportedly commented on Tewari’s courtroom conduct. The advocate then approached the bench, asserting that he would “argue in his own way” and told the judge, “Don’t cross the limit.”
The exchange, captured on video, triggered widespread discussion online, leading the High Court to initiate contempt proceedings suo motu. A full bench heard the matter on Friday and issued notice to Tewari for his response.
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