Misbehaving With Law Officers Who Communicate Court Orders Is Contempt, Says Allahabad High Court
The Allahabad High Court has held that Additional Government Advocates (AGAs) act as officers of the Court when they communicate compliance with its orders to officials, and that any misbehaviour toward them by a state officer amounts to contempt.
The observation came from a Bench of Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal, after the Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP), Azamgarh, misbehaved with an AGA during a mobile phone conversation. The Court said that AGAs discharge their duty in compliance with the Court's orders whenever they inform any officer about compliance, and that misbehaviour by any officer — even the top-most officer of the State — would amount to contempt. The Court also said that discharging duties related to compliance with court orders demands proper respect.
The ruling came in a bail application tied to alleged offences under Sections 64(1) B.N.S. and Sections 66E and 67A of the I.T. Act. According to the FIR, the applicant's marriage had been fixed with the victim, and during that time he remained in contact with her and allegedly prepared obscene videos and photographs. He then began blackmailing her, and after she refused to pay him Rs. 2 lakh, the obscene material was uploaded to a fake Facebook ID created in the name of "Rakesh Yadav". The applicant has been in jail since March 1, 2025, and has no prior criminal history.
The applicant argued that the fake Facebook ID in the name of Rakesh Yadav did not belong to him and that he had been falsely implicated. He also submitted that he had no criminal history and had been in jail since May 2025. The State, however, submitted that the contents of a pendrive and the report of the Cyber Cell showed that the applicant created the fake Facebook ID and uploaded the victim's obscene videos and photographs on Facebook.
The Court observed that it was clear the applicant created the fake Facebook ID in the name of Rakesh Yadav and used it to upload the victim's obscene videos and photographs. It also appreciated what it called the humane gesture of the SSP, Azamgarh — widely circulated in newspapers and on social media — of adopting two minor daughters of a criminal who had killed his wife and another child, and who later died in a police encounter.
The Court said it was not inclined to release the applicant on bail at that stage, and rejected the bail application. Advocate Shweta Nishad appeared for the applicant, while Government Advocate Patanjali Mishra appeared for the respondent. The case is titled Sachin Yadav v. State of U.P.
Source: Verdictum