On August 22, 2024, the Delhi High Court convicted Advocate Sanjay Rathod of criminal contempt for an incident dating back to October 30, 2015. During a traffic challan proceeding, Mr. Rathod, allegedly intoxicated, used offensive language towards the magistrate in court.

Mr. Rathod's defense argued that the court lacked jurisdiction to pursue contempt proceedings under Section 10 of the Contempt of Courts Act, as he had already been convicted under the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for similar actions. However, the High Court, referencing key Supreme Court decisions in Bathina Ramakrishna Reddy v. State of Madras and Daroga Singh & Ors. v. B.K. Pandey, clarified that criminal contempt is distinct from offences under the IPC, affirming its jurisdiction.

Ultimately, while the court found Mr. Rathod guilty of criminal contempt, it ruled that no additional sentence was necessary, given that he had already served over five months in prison