Rajasthan high court issues notice to CM Ashok Gehlot over judiciary remark

The notice comes amid uproar over Gehlot’s remarks at an event in Jaipur on August 30. “Corruption is rampant in the judiciary today. I have heard that some lawyers themselves take the judgement in writing and the same judgement is pronounced,” he said.

As the remarks triggered sharp reactions from the legal fraternity, a local lawyer, Shivcharan Gupta, filed a public interest litigation (PIL) in the high court on Thursday seeking contempt proceedings against the chief minister. Gehlot, however, later issued a clarification. “What I said yesterday about the corruption of the Judiciary is not my personal opinion. I have always respected and believed in the judiciary...,” he posted on X (formerly Twitter) on August 31.

In the PIL, the petitioner said: “This (Gehlot’s) statement clearly amounts to a wilful scandalisation of the judiciary, and the petitioner, an advocate practising for the last 47 years, cannot tolerate it.”