Azim Premji (File)The Karnataka High Court convicted advocate R Subramanian and P Sadanand, who represented the NGO India Awake for Transparency, for criminal contempt for filing multiple petitions on the same cause against founder chairman of Wipro Azim Premji. The case pertained to the allegations of financial irregularities against Premji.
In the judgment Friday, a divisional bench of Justices B Veerappa and K S Hemaleka sentenced the two accused to two months of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 under the provisions of Section 12(1) of Contempt of Courts Act on each of them.
Further, the court also restrained the accused from initiating any legal proceedings against the complainants and their group of companies before any court or any authority of law.
The court had on December 23, framed charges against the accused. On January 7, after hearing both the sides, the court reserved its order on the petition.
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The court in its December 23 order stated, “You, in spite of dismissal of all writ petitions on the same cause of action and despite of warning and prohibition by the orders of the court, filed several cases and continued the proceedings and your conduct is nothing but a daring ride on the court and you have made a mockery of the judicial process by filing one or the other frivolous legal proceedings, not only affecting the interest of public at large but also interfering with the administration of justice by misusing the forum of various courts, wasting judicial time and abusing the process of law. Thereby amounting to criminal contempt within the meaning of the provisions of Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 punishable under Section 12 of the said Act, within the cognizance of this court.”
The High Court in February last year had imposed a cost of Rs 10 lakh on India Awake for Transparency for filing multiple petitions on the same cause of action, seeking to register a case against Premji and others.
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