HC records statements in contempt plea

The High Court on Wednesday recorded statements of evidence against two advocates and the secretary of Iskcon, Bangalore, in a criminal contempt petition for making reckless allegation of bias against a High Court judge in 2009.

 A division bench comprising Justice N Kumar and Justice Rathnakala began the trial by recording statements of Registrar General of High Court and two advocates S A Srinivasan and  Shekhar Shetty.

The bench had framed charges against the secretary of Iskcon, Jaya Chaithanya Dasa, and two advocates, Ramesh Babu and S A Maruthi Prasad in the case. Dasa has been charged with filing an affidavit seeking recusal of Justice K L Manjunath from hearing the plea related to the dispute between Iskcon, Mumbai and Iskcon, Bangalore. 

The advocates have been charged with approaching Srinivasan and Shetty, who were colleagues of Justice Manjunath prior to his appointment as the judge. The advocates wanted Justice Manjunath’s colleagues to appear on behalf of Iskcon, Bangalore, so that the judge, Justice Manjunath, would become ‘disabled from hearing the plea over the dispute.’

The High Court, in 2009, had initiated suo motu criminal proceedings against them.