The Supreme Court on Monday (April 20, 2026) asked a petitioner to move the Madhya Pradesh High Court to assist in criminal contempt proceedings initiated against BJP MLA Sanjay Satyendra Pathak, who is accused of attempting to contact a sitting High Court judge hearing an illegal mining case linked to the lawmaker.
A Bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant allowed Ashutosh Dixit, represented by senior advocate Devadatt Kamat and advocate Roopesh Singh Bhadauria, to withdraw his petition in the apex court with liberty to approach the High Court.
Mr. Dixit had filed a complaint with the State Economic Offences Wing in Bhopal in January last year alleging that the family-owned mining companies of Mr. Pathak, who represents Vijayraghavgarh Assembly Constituency in Katni district, namely M/s Anand Mining Corporation, M/s Nirmala Minerals and Pacific Export carried out extraction/production in quantities far exceeding the sanctioned limits, but failed to deposit the government revenue due, causing wrongful loss to the public exchequer amounting to several crores of rupees.
He had subsequently moved the State High Court on the ground that the authorities were not acting on his complaints. He had sought a fair and free investigation into the allegations raised in his petitions.
