Slur against judiciary: Contempt convict to undergo psychological examination

File photo of the Madras High Court
| Photo Credit: K. PICHUMANI

The Madras High Court has directed the Superintendent of Central Prison at Puzhal in Chennai to subject a convict, undergoing imprisonment for criminal contempt of court, to medical examination, and determine whether he is suffering from any psychological issues.

A Division Bench of Justices S.M. Subramaniam and N. Senthilkumar granted time until October 17 for the submission of the medical reports from the Institute of Mental Health at Kilpauk, Chennai, after a thorough examination of the convict PU. Venkatesan, a former loco pilot.

The first suo motu contempt of court proceedings against him were initiated in 2020 for his Facebook post containing scandalous allegations against certain Supreme Court and district judges. After the initiation of the proceedings, he began writing letters to judges.

When Justices M.S. Ramesh and Sunder Mohan summoned him to the court on April 22, 2024, for framing charges in the 2020 suo motu contempt proceedings, he levelled false and frivolous allegations against them and insisted on recording the court proceedings using his mobile phone camera.

He also produced a letter written by him to the Chief Justice of India on April 17, 2024, making unsavoury remarks against Justice M.M. Sundresh of the Supreme Court, Justice Ramesh, Justice N. Anand Venkatesh, and Justice Mohan of the High Court. The letter also contained photographs of the four judges.

He raised his voice during the hearing of the case, questioned the procedures adopted by the court, and challenged the judges to take action against him. His conduct forced the Division Bench, led by Justice Ramesh, to initiate yet another suo motu contempt proceeding against him.

During the hearing of the second contempt proceeding, he addressed the two judges in the Bench as “criminals.” Finding his conduct to be falling squarely under the Contempt of Courts Act, the judges on June 13, 2024, sentenced him to six months of simple imprisonment.

Subsequently, the Bench, led by Justice Subramaniam, found the contemnor to be a habitual offender who disrupts court proceedings and continues to fling allegations against judges. It wanted to find out whether he was engaging in such a conduct intentionally or because of a psychological issue.

Therefore, the judges directed the prison superintendent to take the convict to the IMH at Kilpauk for examination and submit the medical report before the court.