The Supreme Court on Thursday stayed a Bombay High Court order that had convicted a woman of criminal contempt and sentenced her to one week in jail for circulating a housing society notice accusing judges of being part of a so-called “dog mafia.”
[Vineeta Srinandan v. High Court of Judicature at Bombay (Suo Motu)]
A Bench comprising Justices Vikram Nath and KV Viswanathan issued notice to the State and granted an interim stay on the High Court’s directive to arrest Vineeta Srinandan.
The contempt proceedings stemmed from a circular distributed on January 29 by Srinandan, who was then the cultural head of Seawoods Estates Limited in Navi Mumbai. The circular was issued amid a dispute involving dog feeders in the housing society. It alleged that stray dog feeders were being protected by the courts and claimed the existence of a “dog mafia” supported by the judiciary.
The Bombay High Court took exception to the language and tone of the circular, finding that it scandalised the court and eroded public confidence in the judiciary. In its judgment dated April 23, the court held Srinandan guilty of criminal contempt and imposed a sentence of one-week imprisonment along with a ₹2,000 fine.
Rejecting her apology, the High Court observed that it lacked sincerity and appeared to be a tactical move rather than an expression of genuine remorse.
Following the conviction, Srinandan moved the Supreme Court seeking relief. With the top court’s intervention, enforcement of the High Court’s order has been halted until further hearings.
Srinandan is being represented by Senior Advocate Dama Seshadri Naidu, along with Advocates Yash S. Vijay, Pranjal Agarwal, Dixita Gohil, Kms Sivani, Anisha Mahajan, Deepak Sharma, and Shikhar Aggarwal.
