NE LEGAL BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, JULY 7
Senior lawyer and Gujarat High Court Advocates’ Association president Yatin Oza on Tuesday sought more time from the High Court to file reply to a contempt notice issued to him for calling the court “a gambling den”.
A division bench of Justices Sonia Gokani and N V Anjaria granted Oza’s request for one week’s time, and posted the matter for hearing to July 22.
As per Rule 16(a) of the Gujarat High Court Contempt of Courts Rules, a reply has to be filed at least a week before the date of hearing.
This was the second time that Oza’s lawyer Kruti Shah sought time to file a reply.
Criminal contempt of court notice was issued to Oza over his remark during an online press conference on June 6 where he called the court a “gambling den” and alleged that it caters only to the litigants with means and money power, smugglers and those who are traitors.
On June 16, the Supreme Court refused to entertain his plea against the contempt notice.
The HC, in the contempt notice issued on June 9, said Oza made “false and contemptuous allegations of corruption, malpractices against the administration of the High Court.
“These scurrilous remarks appear to have been made without any substantive basis and without any intent to know the truth as also without approaching the honourable Chief Justice for any inquiry as the head of the institution,” the HC said.
In an interim order, the court restrained Oza from making any scandalous remarks or holding official meetings and passing any resolution or circulating any material or communicating directly or indirectly either himself or through others in relation to the subject matter of contempt notice.
