The Bombay High Court on Tuesday initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against lawyer Nilesh Ojha over his “scandalous and defamatory” remarks about a sitting judge. The comments were made during a press briefing concerning the death of Disha Salian, the former manager of Bollywood actor Sushant Singh Rajput.
Ojha, who represents Satish Salian, Disha’s father, allegedly targeted the integrity of the judiciary in his statements, which the court described as “ex-facie contemptuous.” The lawyer’s controversial comments were made public at a press conference held on April 1, which has prompted the court to order immediate removal of the conference’s video from YouTube and a local Marathi news channel.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Alok Aradhe and Justices A.S. Chandurkar, M.S. Sonak, Ravindra Ghuge, and A.S. Gadkari, highlighted that the remarks not only disparaged the court’s dignity but also obstructed the administration of justice. “The statements are scandalous and defamatory allegations,” noted the court in its order, emphasizing the deliberate nature of the accusations meant to scandalize the court’s authority.
This legal stir occurs amid ongoing demands by Mr. Salian for a renewed investigation into his daughter’s mysterious death in June 2020. Satish Salian’s petition last month called for a First Information Report (FIR) against Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Aaditya Thackeray and proposed shifting the investigation to the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), suggesting a politically influenced cover-up.
In response to the egregious allegations, the court has scheduled further hearings for April 29, while directing that the contentious video be pulled from public access immediately.
