In a significant development, High Court of Judicature at Hyderabad on Monday initiated criminal contempt proceedings against nominated MLA Elvis Stephenson for allegedly misleading the court on ‘Not before me’ petition.
The High Court bench on Monday while dismissing the petition filed by the nominated MLA on June 18, urging Justice B. Sivashankar Rao hearing the quash petition of accused number four Jerusalem Mattaiah in the `cash for vote' scandal to recuse himself, observed that the MLA had mislead the court.
It said the legislator had levelled false allegations against the judge, who had taken up the hearing. Justice B. Shivashankar Rao of Hyderabad High Court was hearing the case.
It may be recalled that on June 18, Justice Rao passed interim orders staying the arrest of Mattaiah till June 24 and asked the ACB to respond to the quash petition. The complainant had then filed the petition requesting the judge not to hear this case and he narrated sequence of events which took place in the court on June 18.
He said that the involvement of senior law officers of the AP Government in High Court in the case proceedings and insistence of the judge that advocates who are not connected with the case shall leave the court hall is giving raise to doubts.
He had said: “It is submitted, based on the above, several advocates told me that in all likelihood my complaint would be quashed as the Honourable Court seems to be pre-determined and pre-disposed.” He made specific prayer that the case shall not be heard by this judge. The petition was numbered and was listed before the learned judge on June 24.
Hearing the case last week, the Judge had said that he would announce the order on Monday and accordingly gave the direction that criminal contempt proceedings be filed against the nominated MLA for misleading the Court by levelling false allegations.
