On 13 June 2024, the Madras High Court sentenced a former locomotive pilot to six months of simple imprisonment under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, for making scandalous allegations against a Supreme Court judge and three High Court judges.
A Division Bench consisting of Justices M.S. Ramesh and Sunder Mohan found PU. Venkatesan from Mogappair, Chennai, guilty of criminal contempt. They imposed the maximum punishment, noting his lack of remorse and disruptive behaviour in court, where he loudly accused the judges on the Bench of being “criminals.”
The contempt proceedings began suo motu in 2020 after Venkatesan posted defamatory statements on Facebook targeting several Supreme Court and district judges. Following this, he continued to send letters containing false allegations to Justices Ramesh and Mohan after they started hearing the 2020 case in April this year.
On 22 April 2024, when Venkatesan was summoned for the framing of charges, he submitted a sub-application requesting permission to record court proceedings on his mobile phone. He again made baseless accusations against the Division Bench judges in his petition. Additionally, he included a letter addressed to the Chief Justice of India dated 17 April 2024, which contained derogatory comments about Justice M.M. Sundresh of the Supreme Court, and Justices Ramesh, N. Anand Venkatesh, and Mohan of the High Court, along with their photographs.
When questioned by the Division Bench if he stood by the claims made in his letter, Venkatesan affirmed and provocatively challenged the judges to take action. He raised his voice and questioned the court’s procedures, prompting the Bench to initiate a second suo motu contempt proceeding for interfering with the administration of justice. During this hearing, Venkatesan again called the judges “criminals” and urged them to issue any order they wished.
The Bench documented that Venkatesan was given ample opportunity to explain his position. “Despite these opportunities, he dared us to pass any order and referred to us as criminals in front of the entire legal community and court staff,” the judges stated.
The judges further expressed their view that Venkatesan’s conduct was not only contemptuous towards them but also towards the entire justice system. His lack of remorse and his defiant challenge to the court were noted.
Upon ordering the arrest of Venkatesan, the judges instructed Additional Public Prosecutor E. Raj Thilak to ensure the presence of the High Court police station Inspector in court. The Inspector was then directed to immediately take Venkatesan into custody and transfer him to the Superintendent of the Central Prison at Puzhal to serve his sentence.
(with inputs from The Hindu)
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