Contempt Notice Issued Against Suraz India Trust Chairman, Rajiv Daiya

BACKGROUND OF THE CASE

• A three judge Bench of the Supreme Court headed by then Chief Justice of India, J S Khehar, had obtruded on the Suraz India Trust, an NGO, an outstanding cost of Rs 25 lakhs.
• This was done in the view that the NGO had filed various frivolous petitions and had wasted precious judicial time.
• The Court had then restrained the Trust and its Chairman, Rajiv Daiya from filing any case and PIL under any Court.

SEPTEMBER 2020

• In September 2020, the Court issued a notice to the Trust for not depositing the cost of Rs 25 lakhs which was ordered by the Court on 1st May, 2017.
• The Court asked the Trust for disclosing all their movable and immovable assets of the original petitioner, for recovery of the cost.

FEBRUARY 2021

• In February 2021, bailable warrants were issued by the Courts against Daiya for his pending deposition of Rs 25 lakhs, which was imposed upon the Trust for filing 64 PILs before various High Courts and Supreme Court and not getting any success.
• The Court saw this as ‘repeated misuse’ of jurisdiction.

MAY 2021

• Following the non-compliance of the order by the Court which directed Rajiv Daiya to submit Rs 25 lakhs over the allegations levelled against the judges, the Court issued a notice of contempt against him, strongly deprecating his conduct.

COURT’S OBSERVATION

• In response to the above mentioned events, the State of Rajasthan brought to notice to the letter, which was addressed by Mr Daiya, concerning the proceedings which were initiated by the concerned authorities, claiming that this leads to scandalize the Court.
• The Division Bench of Justice Sanjay Kishar Kaul and Hemant Gupta observed that it was clear attempt in intimidating the Court and the Court will not tolerate the same.

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