The Delhi High Court has launched criminal contempt proceedings against a lawyer whose accusations against the judiciary went far beyond courtroom criticism and into the realm of scandalous attack.
In an order dated September 19, Justice Amit Sharma recorded that the lawyer, identified as Vedant, hurled “reckless allegations of corruption” against judges—claims branded as contemptuous and scandalising. The Court underlined that such conduct directly undermines judicial authority and disrupts the administration of justice, falling squarely within the definition of criminal contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971.
The matter has now been placed before the roster bench for further hearing on November 19.
What triggered this action was not just one remark, but a pattern. Despite previously issuing an unconditional apology, Vedant sent fresh communications earlier this year, accusing judges of pocketing ₹50 crore to delay justice. His submissions in court documents went even further—painting the judiciary as corrupt, collusive, and conspiratorial, with rhetoric about “judicial terrorism” and “judicial emergency.”
At one point, his metaphors turned theatrical, claiming the judiciary had the power to “transform goats into lions and lions into goats.”
These statements, the Court concluded, crossed the line from criticism into contempt, compelling it to initiate criminal proceedings.
The civil contempt petition that set this chain in motion was argued by a team of advocates including Sumitra Choudhary, MK Raghav Raman, Nitya Sharma, Jasmine Sheikh, and Mansi Aggarwal. Vedant represented himself.