In a sharp reprimand, the Delhi High Court imposed a ₹10,000 fine on a lawyer, citing his “outrageous aspersions” against the court’s earlier ruling and conduct. Advocate Ravi Kumar, appearing on his own behalf, filed a review petition questioning a decision in a recruitment matter. However, the Court dismissed his appeal, asserting that Kumar had taken a confrontational approach to sway the Bench’s judgment.
The panel, comprising Justices C Hari Shankar and Girish Kathpalia, found no grounds for revisiting their previous decision, noting that Kumar’s arguments lacked “any error apparent on the face of record.” The justices observed that Kumar’s approach went beyond legal argument, bordering on an effort to “browbeat the court” with inflammatory language and accusations. Despite prior warnings to keep his statements restrained, Kumar had allegedly accused the judges of drafting a “hasty” judgment due to one judge’s impending promotion, casting doubts on the integrity of the decision.
The case dates back to Kumar’s attempt to secure an administrative position with the Indian Space Research Organization (ISRO), which was initially dismissed by the Central Administrative Tribunal (CAT) and, later, by the High Court in 2018. Dissatisfied with the outcome, Kumar alleged factual errors in the court’s decision, such as misuse of a normalization method and inaccuracies in interpreting his exam marks.
The High Court, however, found his claims unpersuasive, noting that Kumar’s approach amounted to “cherry-picking” select phrases while disregarding the judgment’s broader rationale. In its October 5 order, the court emphasized that a review petition is not an “appeal in disguise,” reiterating that such petitions serve only to correct patent errors, not to rehear a case in its entirety.
The court further censured Kumar for revisiting his claims with incendiary language, calling his previous assertions “outrageous” and pointing out that he had even suggested the judgment was a mere “copy-paste” of the CAT’s ruling. Consequently, the High Court declared the review plea frivolous and mandated that Kumar pay ₹10,000 to the Delhi High Court Legal Services Committee.
