Jharkhand High Court Dismisses Contempt Proceedings Against Advocate Mahesh Tiwari

Background

The Jharkhand High Court has recently closed the suo motu criminal contempt proceedings initiated against advocate Mahesh Tiwari. This decision follows an acrimonious exchange of words between Tiwari and Justice Rajesh Kumar in October 2025.

A video of the hearing, which was streamed live on YouTube, had gone viral on social media. In the video, Tiwari can be seen addressing Justice Kumar, stating that he can argue in his own way and requesting the judge not to humiliate him or any other advocate.

Court's Observation

The Full Bench of the Jharkhand High Court, comprising Chief Justice MS Sonak and Justices Sujit Narayan Prasad, Rongon Mukhopadhyay, Ananda Sen, and Rajesh Shankar, expressed that Tiwari's utterances in the courtroom were regrettable. The Court noted that an advocate with over 40 years of legal practice was expected to show greater restraint.

• The Court considered the pleas, transcript, video clip, and the law on the subject before making its decision.
• Tiwari's unconditional apology was sympathetically considered by the Court, as directed by the Supreme Court.
• The Court hoped that in the future, Tiwari would display restraint and not indulge in any misadventure of scandalising or lowering the authority of the institution.

Decision

The Court accepted Tiwari's unconditional apology and dropped the contempt proceedings. The decision was made after considering the facts, circumstances, and the dicta of the Hon'ble Apex Court.

The Court noted that Tiwari had stated that his comments were a spontaneous reaction and momentary response to the humiliation caused to him by personal remarks made by Justice Kumar.

Cause Title: Mahesh Tiwari vs. The High Court of Jharkhand