UP lawyer calls judges 'goondas' during courtroom drama over unbuttoned shirt; gets 6 months' jail term

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court has dropped the gavel hard on Ashok Pande, a local lawyer, reported TOI.

The Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on Thursday sentenced local advocate Ashok Pande to six months’ simple imprisonment in a contempt case that started with a rather unorthodox courtroom appearance — shirt unbuttoned, no robe, and a heated exchange with the judges.

According to TOI, the incident dates back to August 18, 2021, when the court initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against Pande.


According to the bench, not only did he show up inappropriately dressed, but when objected to, he misbehaved and allegedly called the judges “goondas” before being asked to leave.

The division bench, comprising Justice Vivek Chaudhary and Justice BR Singh, didn’t take kindly to the conduct. In its verdict, the court noted that despite repeated chances, Pande chose not to reply to the contempt charges — a decision that clearly didn’t work in his favour, said TOI.

In addition to the six-month sentence, the court imposed a fine of Rs 2,000. Failure to pay will earn him another month behind bars. Pande has been given four weeks to surrender before the Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) in Lucknow.

The court also issued a show-cause notice asking why Pande should not be barred from practicing in the Allahabad High Court and its Lucknow bench. He has until May 1 to respond.

TOI further reported that the order pointed out that this isn’t Pande’s first brush with contempt. In fact, he was previously banned from entering court premises for two years back in 2017 due to similar behaviour.

This time, the court made it clear: if you're going to step into the courtroom, leave the theatrics — and the unbuttoned shirts — at the door.