Disregarding judicial officer's order unpardonable: Allahabad HC

PRAYAGRAJ: (Mar 3) The Allahabad High Court has observed that a judicial officer, while discharging judicial functions, stands above the district magistrate, district police chief and even the political head of a state, and that disregarding such an officer's order is "unpardonable".

The court said such disregard is not merely contempt of court but a direct challenge to the authority of law.

In an order dated February 19, Justice Arun Kumar Singh Deshwal came down heavily on police officials for allegedly ignoring directions of the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM), Lalitpur, and held the station house officer (SHO) and the investigating officer (IO) guilty of contempt.