Kolkata, Jan 12 (PTI) Issuing a rule of contempt against some advocates and other persons who allegedly blocked his courtroom and locked it from outside and also over derogatory posters near his residence, Justice Rajasekhar Mantha of the Calcutta High Court has said that the acts amount to interference in the administration of justice.

Protests were held by a section of lawyers outside Justice Mantha's courtroom on January 9 over certain orders passed by him.

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Holding that there is interference in the administration of justice by a section of advocates and some persons, Justice Mantha said, "Attempts have been made to browbeat, intimidate, instil fear in this Court, from discharging its functions, by making false, misleading and baseless allegations in the said posters."

Issuing a suo motu rule of contempt against the said advocates and the persons concerned, Justice Mantha observed that such acts amount to interference in the administration of justice.

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"There has been a clear attempt to interfere with the justice delivery system of this Constitutional Court by the said section of the Advocates and persons, by locking up the courtroom from outside and preventing access to the courtroom to lawyers, litigants and court staff," he said in the order.

Justice Mantha noted that apart from locking up his courtroom, defamatory posters were affixed around his residence at Jodhpur Park in south Kolkata and around the precincts of the high court.

In his order, the judge said that the allegation of illegal occupation of the residence by the judge is incorrect and untrue.

"The said allegation is reckless, false, untrue and incorrect since the conveyance for the purchase of the residential accommodation at the 1st floor 231, Jodhpur Park, Kolkata – 700068 is duly registered with the concerned Registrar of Assurances at Kolkata," he said.

Justice Mantha said that a clear attempt has been made by the said advocates and the said persons to lower the dignity of this court in the eyes of the public at large.

"In view of the above, this court issues a suo motu rule of contempt against the said advocates and the concerned persons," he ordered.

He observed that the conduct of the advocates and the said persons in locking up the courtroom from outside and the publication of the said posters “tend to shake and has shaken the confidence of the community in the justice delivery system."

Justice Mantha said that the Registrar General of this Court can identify the names and particulars of the said advocates and persons from CCTV footage of the date and time outside his courtroom.

"This is a matter of grave importance concerning the dignity of this Court. Hence, let this Rule/Order be placed before the Hon'ble the Chief Justice for constitution of an appropriate bench, to hear the matter," he said in the January 10 order.

Demanding that Justice Mantha's determination be changed, meaning that he be assigned matters on other subjects, some lawyers had held protests on January 9 outside his courtroom.

The small section of lawyers on Monday demonstrated over some orders passed by Justice Mantha, including one passed in December last year that gave protection to the Leader of Opposition in the West Bengal Assembly and BJP MLA Suvendu Adhikari directing the state police not to register any more FIRs against him without the high court's permission.

Justice Mantha had also stayed all the FIRs referred to in a petition by Adhikari, wherein he claimed that 26 FIRs had been registered against him in different police stations of the state to prevent him from performing his function as a people's representative at the instance of the ruling dispensation in the state.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)