Brief Facts
In the Matter at hand Purnaprakash Sharma v. Yashwant Singh Faujdar a contempt lawsuit brought by attorneys and petitioners against Bharatpur Bar Association officers in Rajasthan for allegedly interfering with the work of attorneys who abstained from striking against the Legal Aid Defence Counsel Scheme. For the Bharatpur district, the legal aid services administration has established the Legal Aid Defence Counsel Scheme. According to this the solicitors were to be employed full-time and only to work to offer legal aid to people who were charged with or accused of crimes. When the application procedure for the plan began, attorneys in Bharatpur objected to it. However, the petitioner kept carrying out the plan and shunned the demonstration. Due to their opposition and attempts to undermine the campaign, the petitioners were sent a show cause notice. They were also put on hold. After that, the petitioners went to the Supreme Court to ask for the Bharatpur Bar Association to be charged with contempt of court.
Apex Court Judgement
The Supreme Court’s division bench, consisting of Chief Justice Dr DY Chandrachud and Justice PS Narasimha, has adjourned the case against the Bar Association for contempt of court.
The Bharatpur Bar Association’s elected body told the court that the petitioners and other bar members had been admitted back into the Association’s membership. Additionally, a promise is made to the court that neither the petitioners nor other members of the bar who are in a similar situation would face obstacles when functioning as legal defence attorneys or following their line of work. The Court concluded that continuing to exercise the contempt jurisdiction would not be in the interests of justice. The Bench did state that in the event that another situation like this arises in the future, it will use the forceful arm of the law. The Bench further cautioned that the work of the legal defence team must not be hindered.
CASE NAME – Purnaprakash Sharma v. Yashwant Singh Faujdar, CP (Civil) No 726/23