In an extraordinary show of judicial resolve, the Allahabad High Court has slammed the doors shut—literally and legally—on lawyer Asok Pandey. The court has not only upheld its earlier decision sentencing him to six months in jail for contempt, but has now barred him from practicing or even stepping foot inside either bench of the High Court—Allahabad or Lucknow—for the next three years.
Pandey, who had hurled abuses at judges during open court proceedings in 2021 and even called them “goondas,” had pleaded for mercy. He claimed his High Court practice was his only source of income and requested the ban be trimmed to just three months. The court was unmoved.
Citing his track record of repeated contemptuous behavior—including a previous two-year restriction and a 2017 jail sentence—the bench led by Justices Vivek Chaudhary and Brij Raj Singh refused to budge. “He has shown no improvement,” they noted pointedly. His apology? Too little, too late—and not even sincere, according to the court.
What made matters worse was Pandey’s conduct inside the courtroom itself. He appeared before a bench with his shirt half-unbuttoned and kept it that way even after being asked to correct it. When pressed, he had no explanation for the defiance.
The court acknowledged that Pandey had cited the 2020 Supreme Court case involving Prashant Bhushan—who was fined just ₹1 for contempt—but flatly rejected any comparison. Bhushan, they said, had faced only one contempt case. Pandey? At least six others are pending against him.
Pandey had filed an application seeking recall of the April 10 order. That too was dismissed. The court observed the application lacked any justification and that the original ruling had been made after a full and fair hearing—not ex parte.
Now, with the May 26 verdict final, Pandey must surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate in Lucknow within two months. He also has a month to deposit the ₹2,000 fine. If not, he faces another month behind bars.
For a man who once practiced law inside these hallowed halls, the message from the bench is clear: The courtroom is no place for theatrics, insubordination, or unchecked ego.
