Supreme Court dismisses plea seeking ₹1 crore for filing cases to ‘save’ former CJI

The Supreme Court on Thursday dismissed a petition filed by a lawyer seeking a direction to the Centre to pay him ₹1 crore as fees and expenses for filing six cases in 2018 to allegedly “save” former Chief Justice of India Dipak Misra. The court termed the plea “totally misconceived” and declined to grant the request.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Surya Kant, along with Justices Joymalya Bagchi and Vipul M. Pancholi, heard the petition filed by Lucknow-based advocate Ashok Pandey. The lawyer had challenged an earlier order of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court, which had dismissed his claim for payment.

Pandey told the court that he had filed six cases to defend the then Chief Justice and had incurred around ₹2 lakh in litigation expenses, which he claimed to have borrowed from his daughter. He argued that the government should compensate him for the legal efforts undertaken in the matter.

During the hearing, the Chief Justice questioned the petitioner’s arguments and pointed out inconsistencies in his statements regarding allegations made against members of the judiciary. The bench also observed that any action taken in support of an institution should be seen as a form of public service.

Rejecting the demand for compensation, the court remarked that social service cannot be measured in monetary terms. With these observations, the bench dismissed the plea challenging both the High Court order and the earlier rejection of his claim by the Ministry of Law and Justice.