Supreme Court Penalizes Legal Misadventure with Rs 1.2 Lakh Fine

The Supreme Court imposed a penalty of Rs 1.2 lakh on B Govardhan for pursuing a case described as a 'legal misadventure', wasting judicial time of the Madras High Court. The high court's time was deemed more valuable for addressing justice for the masses. The fine will be allocated for various welfare activities.

Describing the appeal as a 'legal misadventure', the Supreme Court on Thursday penalized B Govardhan with a cost of Rs 1.2 lakh. The Court emphasized that pursuing this case was a significant waste of valuable judicial time of the Madras High Court, which could have been better utilized in addressing justice for the 'teeming millions'.

A bench of Justices Hima Kohli and Ahsanuddin Amanullah criticized Govardhan for continuing the legal proceedings, stating it was an unnecessary strain on the judicial system. The Court's judgment underlined the consequences of such actions by setting aside an earlier division bench verdict.

The penalty amount is to be deposited within six weeks and will benefit juvenile welfare, advocates' clerks, and legal aid, as allocated by the high court registry. The initial dispute was over a loan and mortgage agreement dating back to 1995, which saw multiple rounds of litigation before the Supreme Court's final decision.

(With inputs from agencies.)