The Independent Legal Services Commission has labelled lawyer Rajendra Pal Chaudhry a fugitive from Fiji, saying he remains in New Zealand without serving a prison sentence or paying a court-imposed fine.
The finding was made in a sanction ruling delivered on March 23, in which Commissioner Justice Daniel Goundar ordered that Chaudhry be struck off the Roll of Legal Practitioners of the High Court of Fiji.
Chaudhry, a New Zealand-based lawyer, had earlier been found guilty of two counts of professional misconduct arising from a March 9, 2018 Facebook post that denigrated three Fiji Court of Appeal judges.
In the ruling, the commission said Chaudhry’s status as a fugitive was a significant aggravating factor, noting he had failed to serve a custodial sentence or pay a substantial fine imposed in earlier contempt of court proceedings.
Those proceedings stemmed from a series of social media posts in which the High Court found his comments to be scandalous and capable of undermining public confidence in the judiciary.
Justice Goundar said the latest misconduct — involving public attacks on appellate judges — formed part of a clear and escalating pattern of behaviour.
“The Respondent has neither served the sentence nor paid the fine, as he remains in New Zealand and is regarded as a fugitive,” the ruling stated.
The commission found that Chaudhry’s actions went beyond acceptable criticism, describing his remarks as inflammatory, disrespectful and designed to ridicule the judiciary.
It also noted that he had previously been found guilty of professional misconduct in 2012 for discourtesy towards a High Court judge, and later convicted for contempt of court in 2018–2019.
Justice Goundar said the repeated misconduct demonstrated that Chaudhry had failed to heed earlier sanctions and showed a persistent disregard for professional standards.
He said the lawyer had shown no remorse, offered no apology and taken no steps toward rehabilitation.
Given the seriousness of the misconduct and the need to protect public confidence in the legal system, the commission ruled that striking off was the only appropriate sanction.
The order directs that Chaudhry’s name be removed from the roll and that the decision be circulated to legal bodies in New South Wales and New Zealand for any further action.
