The Bombay High Court has initiated contempt proceedings and framed charges against a teacher for making bribery allegations against a judicial officer.
Shrikrushna B. Thakare, a 64-year-old school teacher, accused the presiding officer of a School Tribunal, who is a Civil Judge, of demanding a bribe in connection with a promotion-related case.
The Nagpur Bench of the High Court directed Thakare to appear for the contempt proceedings in the coming days while hearing a plea filed by the judicial officer.
Thakare, a resident of Amravati, had approached the School Tribunal after one of his junior colleagues was promoted to headmaster. He had also filed a complaint against the school management.
Later, Thakare alleged that the presiding officer had demanded Rs 2 lakh from him as a bribe but ultimately ruled in favour of the school management after allegedly accepting Rs 5 lakh.
He then lodged a complaint against the judicial officer with the Superintendent of Police, Anti-Corruption Bureau. Additionally, he issued a notice to the presiding officer, questioning his authority, challenging his rulings, and threatening to escalate the matter to higher authorities.
A bench comprising Justices Nitin B Sambre and Vrushali V Joshi found these allegations to be unsubstantiated and baseless.
The bench had earlier said that it was prima facie satisfied that the intention of Thakare to make “baseless allegations against the Presiding Officer are with an intention to scandalise the Court and such act by written conduct constitutes a criminal contempt”.
Now, while framing the charges against Thakare, the bench said, “Such contemptuous conduct is with an intention to scandalise the Court and the Presiding Officer so as to undermine his authority. As such, you are liable to be proceeded against under the Contempt of Courts Act,1971, as such therefore, said charge is framed.”
The bench found the allegations levelled by Thakare to be “not only contradictory to each other but speaks of the intention of the contemnor to make false statements and baseless allegations against the Presiding Officer, which amounts to undermining the authority of the Judicial Officer/Court.”
However, even after the charges were framed, Thakare maintained that the allegations of corruption made against the Presiding Officer are correct, and he still stands by the same.
The court granted Thakare some time to submit his response to the charges and will further hear the plea on April 3.
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