In a striking move, the Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh High Court has imposed a ₹1 lakh fine on an 81-year-old man, declaring him a “cancer for the judicial system” due to his incessant filing of frivolous petitions against his daughter-in-law and the judges hearing his cases.
Justice Sanjeev Kumar of the Srinagar Bench took a strong stance against the man’s behavior, particularly condemning the offensive language used in his petition against his daughter-in-law’s maintenance proceedings. The Court noted that the man’s accusations displayed a severely depraved mindset and were shocking to any reasonable person.
The petitioner had sought to quash the maintenance proceedings initiated by his daughter-in-law, claiming to represent his son via power of attorney. However, the Court pointed out that he had filed the petition in his own name and not on behalf of his son, further muddying his claims.
Justice Kumar highlighted the man’s history of filing reckless allegations against various judges, stating that he was dissatisfied with judges who did not act according to his wishes. The Court found no evidence to support the man’s accusations against the Sessions Judge handling the maintenance case.
The Court went on to describe the petitioner’s numerous legal filings as “utterly obnoxious and in extremely bad taste,” and characterized him as a habitual litigant who used the judicial system to settle personal scores, including disputes with his ex-employer.
“The petitioner has no sense of decency and is not aware as to how the pleadings in the Court are required to be filed,” the Court remarked, adding that the man’s mistrust of judges across numerous cases indicated a deep-seated issue.
Justice Kumar suggested that the petitioner might need psychiatric help, given his continuous abuse of the legal process. The petition was dismissed as utterly misconceived and aimed solely at harassing the Sessions Court Judge.
The Court concluded that allowing the petitioner to continue his behavior without consequence would only embolden him. Consequently, the man was ordered to pay ₹1 lakh into the Litigants’ Welfare Fund within four weeks. Should he fail to comply, the Court directed the Registrar Judicial to take further action.
This decision underscores the Court’s resolve to maintain the integrity of the judicial system and protect it from baseless harassment.
