Bombay High Court. File
| Photo Credit: VIVEK BENDRE
Bombay High Court issued a contempt notice to the Secretary of the Maharashtra Law and Judiciary Department, Dilip S. Ghumare, over his aggressive behaviour, using a high-pitched tone and blaming the High Court administration during court proceedings.“In our considered view, such a conduct by a Judicial Officer in open Court, witnessed by all present, wholly unpardonable and cannot be countenanced. He cannot certainly forget that he is a Judicial Officer and cannot start regarding the Court as utterly insignificant, irrelevant or inconsequential in any manner nor can it be lightly trampled upon. The post of a Principal Secretary or Secretary at the Department of Law and Judiciary is an important position in the interface between the Judiciary and the Legislature. Regardless of the substance of the dispute, it does not confer on him the privilege to treat this Court with utter disrespect,” Court stated in the order dated September 2. A Division Bench comprising Justice Ajay Gadkari and Justice Kamal Khata heard an interim application in a Public Interest litigation involving judicial appointments in Maharashtra. As per the Order, Court pointed out the instead of responding to our query about the averments made in the affidavit about creation of 179 new Fast Track Courts, Mr. Ghumare was aggressive and blamed High Court Administration for not filling up the 179 posts before a packed Courtroom. “A Judicial Officer cannot exhibit such a behaviour in open Court and thereafter expect a pardon through an apology in any manner or form later. To permit this would convey to the public at large a deeply troubling message: that one can commit an otherwise inexcusable act with impunity in open Court and then sheepishly, in a theatrical manner, not meaning a word of it, offer an apology, either through a Senior Counsel or Advocate General to absolve himself of an act which ex facie is contemptuous. Our views are supported by the decisions of the Supreme Court particularly in Re: Vinay Chandra Mishra reported in (1995) 2 SCC 584,” Court observed. The said notice is made returnable on 11th September, until the next hearing. Published - September 04, 2026 02:40 am IST
