The High Court of Karnataka has convicted a former employee of the Indian Institute of Astrophysics (IIA) in two separate instances of contempt of court - for filling a forged statement before the court and for making baseless and scandalous allegations against members of the legal fraternity and the judiciary - and sentenced him to imprisonment for four months in each case.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Anu Sivaraman and Justice Vijaykumar A. Patil passed the order, while convicting K. Dhananjay on two separate contempt proceedings, one initiated on a complaint filed by the IIA and another initiated suo motu by the court.
IIA’s case
The IIA had filed a contempt of court petition in 2018 against him alleging that he was making baseless and scandalous allegations repeatedly in writing against members of the Central Administrative Tribunal, judges of the High Court, the Advocate-General and advocates representing the State and the Central governments in connection with proceedings on pleas challenging his dismissal from the IIA.
Meanwhile, the court in 2019 suo motu initiated another contempt proceedings for filling a forged statement of objection before the court, portraying as if it was filed on behalf of the Central government, by forging the signature of an advocate representing the Central government.
