SC junks plea of lawyer convicted for abusing woman judge inside courtroom
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court on Tuesday dismissed a lawyer's plea against his 18-month jail term for verbally assaulting a woman judge inside a courtroom in the national capital on October 30, 2015.
A bench comprising Justices Prashant Kumar Mishra and Manmohan rejected the appeal of advocate Sanjay Rathore against the May 26 verdict of the Delhi High Court.
The high court refused to reduce the sentence awarded to the lawyer for outraging the modesty of the woman judicial officer.
“How can a woman judicial officer act and discharge the judicial functions?” the bench asked, referring to the lawyer's “abusive comments” during the court proceedings.
The lawyer was reportedly angry over the adjournment of his case related to the traffic challan and created a ruckus inside the courtroom besides using abusive and filthy language against the metropolitan magistrate.
The top court wasn't impressed by the lawyer's submissions for leniency and having "suffered a lot due to his acts".
“No. Nothing can be done..We have to see the nature of the case. Here a woman judicial officer is abused in a courtroom,” the bench retorted.
The high court while dismissing the plea of the lawyer said any act which threatened or intimidated a judge through gender-specific abuse was an assault on justice itself.
“When the dignity of any judicial officer is torn by way of use of filthy words proved beyond reasonable doubt, the law must act as the thread that would mend and restore it," the high court said on May 26.
Upholding his punishment, the high court ordered the lawyer's surrender within 15 days from the date of the order and said it was not merely individual misbehaviour, but a case in which "injustice was done to justice itself".
A judge who symbolises the impartial voice of the law became the target of personal attack while discharging her official duties, it added.
"It is a matter of deep concern that, at times, even the seat of justice cannot guarantee immunity from gendered abuse. When a female judge becomes the target of personal indignity and humiliation by an officer of the court – an advocate, as in the present case – it reflects not only a personal wrong but also the systemic vulnerability women continue to face, even at the highest echelons of legal authority," the high court said.
The high court also refused to reduce the lawyer's sentence to five months, which he had already served.
The court, however, modified the trial court's order for the jail term to run concurrently and not consecutively. The trial court had ordered consecutive jail terms, adding up to two years.
The woman presiding officer of the trial court submitted a formal complaint with the police after the incident in October 2015, alleging that the advocate "insulted her and outraged her modesty, being a female judicial officer and also insulted the court's dignity".
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UAE-based Indian doctor Shamsheer Vayalil announces Rs 6 crore aid for Air India crash victims
Dubai, Jun 17 (PTI): UAE-based Indian doctor and philanthropist Dr Shamsheer Vayalil has announced Rs 6 crore in financial aid for the families of medical students and doctors affected by the Air India plane crash in Ahmedabad last week.
The ill-fated aircraft struck the BJ Medical College's Atulyam hostel complex during lunch hour, reducing student residences and the dining hall to rubble.
All but one of the 242 passengers and crew on board the Boeing 787-8(AI 171) and another 29 persons, including five MBBS students, on the ground were killed when the London-bound aircraft crashed, moments after it took off from the Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel International Airport.
Announcing the relief from the UAE capital of Abu Dhabi, Dr Shamsheer, founder and chairman of Burjeel Holdings and managing director of VPS Health, said he was deeply shaken when he saw the aftermath of the crash.
As someone who had lived in similar hostels during his medical education at Kasturba Medical College in Mangalore and Sri Ramachandra Medical College in Chennai, the images struck a chord, he said.
“I saw the footage from the mess and the hostel, and it truly shook me. It reminded me of the places I once called home, the corridors, the beds, the laughter, the pressure of exams, and the anticipation of a call from family,” he said.
“No one expects a commercial aircraft to come crashing into that world,” he added.
“Those students started the day thinking about lectures, assignments, and patients. Their lives ended in a way none of us could ever imagine. It hit close. Too close,” he said.
Dr Shamsheer’s relief package includes Rs 1 crore for each of the four deceased students’ families, Rs 20 lakh each for five seriously injured students, and Rs 20 lakh each for the families of doctors who lost loved ones.
The financial assistance will be delivered in coordination with the Junior Doctors’ Association at BJ Medical College, ensuring that those in need receive support swiftly.
This is not the first time Dr Shamsheer has responded to such a crisis. In 2010, following the Mangalore air crash, he provided financial assistance and employment opportunities to affected families at Burjeel Holdings, a leading healthcare provider in the Middle East.
