Madras High Court defers contempt proceedings against politician, advocates

Chennai: Deferring contempt proceedings against a politician, Madras High Court on Friday directed him to do "service" in a students hostel for three months after accepting his affidavit seeking apology for obstructing the sealing of a building constructed unauthorisedly.

The First Bench comprising Chief Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul and Justice TS Sivagnanam also deferred contempt proceedings against two young advocates, who also tendered apology in the same case, and directed them to serve their senior lawyer for three months.

"Two of the contemnors are young advocates. They filed identical affidavits stating they have enrolled for the last one and two years respectively and they were misguided by some persons in the locality and had intercepted in the sealing process by the Corporation", the bench said.

"It is stated that they realised now that it was a great blunder and their acts cannot be justified and they are ashamed of it. They have tendered unconditional apology. We have impressed upon them the importance of maintaining the ethical conduct and the requirements of having adorned the robes of an advocate" the bench said.

The politician, while submitting affidavit tendering apology for his act, submitted that he would like to service in a students hostel for three hours every day for five days in a week, till the next hearing scheduled for December 18.

The bench which went through the affidavit apologising for their act, in its order said "we are taking a lenient view of the matter, but would like to place them under watch. We thus accept their apology, but adjourn the proceedings by three months."

The matter relates to the obstructing of sealing of a building constructed unauthorisedly in the city in May. The police had identified the three and on the basis of their report the bench had initiated contempt proceedings against them.

The bench said the politician should produce a certificate of having worked there from the in-charge of the hostel, and posted further hearing in the case to December 18.