In a no-nonsense takedown, the Supreme Court recently called out what it described as a brazen misuse of judicial process—this time, by one of its own. A practicing advocate who thought it wise to invoke Article 32 of the Constitution to meddle in a family court ruling has been hit with a ₹5 lakh cost for wasting the court’s time and “spoiling the environment.”
The petitioner, Sandeep Todi, had approached the apex court on March 25 with a writ petition seeking an ex-parte stay on orders issued by a Mumbai family court. He also dragged in the Union of India, the family court, and the Bombay High Court as respondents. But what truly irked the Bench—Justices Vikram Nath and Sandeep Mehta—was the fact that Todi, a legal professional himself, should have known better.
“He has got the guts to file this petition,” the court remarked, cutting no corners in its condemnation. “Not only has he wasted valuable time of the Court and Registry, but he’s also managed to pollute the entire courtroom atmosphere.”
The judges minced no words in branding the petition “frivolous, malicious and an abuse of process,” making it crystal clear that such misadventures under the guise of fundamental rights would not go unpunished.
Todi tried to retreat during the hearing, seeking permission to withdraw the plea. But the court shut that door too, emphasizing that allowing simple withdrawals in such cases would encourage more litigants to “file any frivolous petition and then get away.”
As a consequence, he’s been ordered to deposit ₹5 lakh with the National Legal Services Authority (NALSA) within four weeks, and provide proof to the court registry within six. Fail to comply, and the matter will be back on the docket.
Lesson learned? When you walk into the highest court of the land, don’t bring drama dressed as doctrine.
