In a stinging rebuke from the Allahabad High Court, a village chief found himself slapped with ₹25,000 in costs after threatening a lawyer with false prosecution under the SC/ST Act. The bench, led by Justice JJ Munir, stopped short of initiating contempt proceedings—but made clear that such antics wouldn’t pass unpunished.
The case unfolded in a land encroachment dispute where Advocate Waseem Akhtar, son-in-law of the petitioner and practicing in Phoolpur, was allegedly targeted by Bahadurpur’s Gram Pradhan, Jang Bahadur. According to the lawyer, the village chief hurled abuses, issued death threats, and warned that a fabricated SC/ST case would make him “forget all his legal skills.”
The High Court didn’t take the allegation lightly. It summoned the Gram Pradhan to explain himself. Bahadur appeared and expressed regret. While the judge noted his “unconditional remorse,” a transcript of a recorded phone call told a different story—one in which Bahadur belittled both Akhtar and the legal profession itself.
Justice Munir minced no words: “Speaking in derogatory terms about the legal profession affects not just the lawyer—it undermines the entire judiciary, of which the Bar is an inseparable part.” He went further, comparing lawyers to “soldiers in times of peace,” often criticized from all quarters while working under a heavily burdened justice system.
Though the court refrained from escalating the matter to criminal contempt, it sent a clear message by ordering Bahadur to pay ₹10,000 directly to Akhtar and another ₹15,000 to the State Legal Services Authority.
Justice Munir also spotlighted the imbalance in judicial expectations. “Courts have issued countless admonishments reminding lawyers of their duties. But the tremendous strain they shoulder to deliver justice is rarely acknowledged.”
With the warning administered and the fine imposed, the court listed the matter for further hearing—leaving no doubt that intimidation tactics against advocates won’t be brushed aside as village politics.
