Archive · 19 Jan 2026
SC dismisses plea challenging Rs 5 lakh fine
A lawyer named Ashok Pandey filed a petition in the Supreme Court.
He wanted the court to ask a judge, Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya, to take his oath again as the Chief Justice of the Bombay High Court.
The lawyer said the judge didn't say the word 'I' during his oath, which he thought was wrong.
The Supreme Court said the petition was not serious and was just for attention.
They fined the lawyer Rs 5 lakh.
Later, the lawyer said the fine was only Rs 25,000, but the court said the order clearly stated Rs 5 lakh.
The court dismissed his new plea and said such petitions waste the court's time.
The Supreme Court dismissed a plea by lawyer Ashok Pandey challenging a Rs 5 lakh fine imposed for filing a frivolous PIL.
The original PIL sought a fresh oath for Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya for not using the word 'I' during his oath as Bombay High Court Chief Justice.
The bench in 2023 had pronounced a Rs 25,000 fine in open court, but the order contained Rs 5 lakh as the fine.
The court rejected Pandey's plea for modification of the 2023 order and an inquiry into the fine issue.
The bench remarked that such frivolous PILs waste the court's time and deflect it from important matters.
- Who
- Lawyer Ashok Pandey
- What
- Supreme Court dismissed a plea challenging a Rs 5 lakh fine imposed for filing a frivolous PIL
- When
- January 19, 2024 (dismissal of plea), October 13, 2023 (original PIL dismissal)
- Where
- Supreme Court of India
- Why
- The PIL was considered frivolous and an attempt to seek publicity
- Petitioner
- Ashok Pandey
- Fine Imposed
- Rs 5 lakh
- Original Fine Pronounced
- Rs 25,000
- Date of PIL Dismissal
- October 13, 2023
- Bench Members (2023)
- CJI D Y Chandrachud, Justices J B Pardiwala, Manoj Misra
- Bench Members (2024)
- CJI Surya Kant, Justices Dipankar Datta, Joymalya Bagchi
- Issue in PIL
- Oath-taking procedure of Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya
- Current Position of Justice Upadhyaya
- Chief Justice of Delhi High Court