Kerala High Court
Kochi : The high court on Wednesday reserved its judgment on a petition filed by T B Mini, the survivor’s counsel in the 2017 actor assault case, seeking suo motu contempt proceedings against former Ernakulam district judge Honey M Varghese for allegedly making derogatory remarks against her in open court during the trial. Earlier reporting noted: Survivor’s lawyer in actor assault case moves Kerala HC seeking contempt action against trial judge Kochi : T B Mini, counsel who appeared for the survivor in the 2017 actor assault case trial, has approached the Kerala high court seeking initiation of suo motu contempt proceedings against former Ernakulam district judge Honey M Varghese for allegedly making derogatory remarks against her in open court during the trial. You Can Also Check: Gold Rate in Kochi | Silver Rate in Kochi | Bank Holidays in Kochi | Public Holidays in Kochi Stay updated with the latest Kochi news.
On Jan 12, 2026, the presiding officer of the trial court accused her, while she was representing the survivor, of attending the trial for fewer than 10 days, sleeping in court and treating the courtroom as a “resting place”, according to Mini. However, the request was rejected on April 22, 2026, with the observation that the judge’s remarks, even if true, amounted to “excessive or extravagant language” and did not meet the legal threshold for criminal contempt under the Contempt of Courts Act. Justice P V Kunhikrishnan orally questioned how the court could expunge remarks allegedly made by the trial court judge if they did not form part of the judicial record While considering the petition. The judge also observed that if the petitioner’s grievances concerned the media coverage, she could approach the Press Council of India. She alleged that the remarks, made in the presence of the media, were widely broadcast, triggering online abuse, character assassination and professional defamation against her. Challenging the decision, Mini approached the HC, contending that the advocate general’s refusal to grant sanction did not curtail the high court’s inherent constitutional power to take suo motu cognisance of the matter. Download the TOI App.
Mini had earlier approached the advocate general seeking sanction to initiate contempt proceedings.