A Lucknow-based lawyer who had been fined by Gujarat High Court for filing "a frivolous" PIL seeking removal of Gujarat Governor, has now sought action against the High Court Judges, including the Chief Justice.
In 2011, after Gujarat Governor Kamala Beniwal appointed Justice (retired) R A Mehta as new Lokayukta of the state, advocate Ashok Pande had filed a PIL seeking Governor's removal alleging that she was 'biased'.
The division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala, in October 2011, dismissed the PIL terming it "frivolous" and imposed a fine of Rs 25,000 on him.
Pande challenged this order in the Supreme Court, but the apex court in turn asked him to pay a fine of Rs 1 lakh, to be deposited with Gujarat Legal Aid Services Authority.
High Court, earlier, had also issued a bailable warrant when he failed to deposit Rs 25,000, and he had to spend a day in police custody.
Today, when the matter came up for the hearing and High Court sought to know if he had deposited the amount, Pande, arguing himself, asked for time.
"This court should not take up the matter today as I have sought consent of the President of India and the Chief Justice of India to initiate actions against the Lordships because you have issued a warrant against me without any grounds," he said, showing copy of his 81-page letter to President.
The division bench of Chief Justice Bhaskar Bhattacharya and Justice J B Pardiwala refused to entertain him, and asked him to deposit Rs one lakh by next Monday. "If he fails to do so he would be taken into the civil custody," the court said.
