Woman advocate gets no bail, faces contempt action from HC for abusing policemen

CHENNAI: The Madras High Court on Friday dismissed the anticipatory bail application moved by advocate Tanuja Rajan who was booked for abusing policemen while allegedly violating Covid-19 restrictions. 

The court in its orders also initiated suo motu criminal contempt of court proceedings against a lawyer who allegedly circulated an unwarranted audio message against the judge on social media. The issue pertains to the woman advocate Tanuja allegedly abusing policemen who were conducting checks as part of the State-wide lockdown. A video of the advocate abusing police was widely shared through social media. 

The case was registered based on a complaint from the affected cop attached to the Chetpet police station, under provisions of the IPC and the Disaster Management Act. Justice M Dhandapani in his order said: “Lady Justice is the allegorical personification of the moral force in judicial systems. Her attributes are a blindfold, a beam balance, and a sword and the balance denotes that justice needs to be delivered with eyes closed and ears open. 

True to the said analogy, which has been followed since time immemorial, the justice delivery system in our country is following the same to deliver impartial justice to one and all without reference to any of their personal traits.” The court, however, granted anticipatory bail to the lawyer’s daughter Preeti Rajan. R Krishnamoorthy, the advocate who had allegedly shared an audio message against the judge, has reportedly said that the Judge has taken a lopsided view of the case and that the Judge was biased in the matter.

Justice Dhandapani expressing his anguish over the advocate who shared the audio message said, “The act of the advocate is very much contumacious and attracts initiation of criminal contempt proceedings. The whole audio paints a very gloomy picture and without any material aspersions are attributed against me.

Neither have I passed any orders on the merits of the case, nor have I in any way defamed the advocates or the legal profession, yet, the advocate has gone on to state that I had not heard the arguments of the counsel and that I was in a predetermined mindset to decide the matter, which is nothing but imputing aspersions against me, though the said advocate was neither the counsel on record for the petitioner nor in any way connected with the said case.” The court directed the Registry for the initiation of suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against the Supreme Court advocate, R Krishnamoorthi by issuing a statutory notice.

The case
The issue pertains to the woman advocate Tanuja allegedly abusing policemen who were conducting checks as part of the State-wide lockdown. A video of the advocate abusing police was widely shared through social media. The case was registered based on a complaint from the affected cop