Justice Mushtaq Ahmad was a Judge of the Allahabad High Court over half a century ago. He was regarded a very strict Judge who rarely granted adjournments.
Once a senior lawyer of the High Court had a case fixed in his court, but on that very day he had also an important case fixed in the Patna High Court, and the Patna case was more important. So he wanted an adjournment in the case fixed before Justice Mushtaq Ahmad, but did not know how to get it
He told his predicament to Munshi Jwala Prashad, the Joint Registrar of the High Court in charge of listing of cases, whom he knew well.
Munshi Jwala Prashad told him not to worry. He should go to Patna, and he ( Munshi Jwala Prashad) would manage everything in the Allahabad High Court.
On the morning of the day fixed for the case before Justice Mushtaq Ahmad, Munshi Jwala Prashad went to the house of Justice Mushtaq Ahmed looking very glum, and met him.
Justice Mushtaq Ahmad enquired why he had come, and why he was looking so despondent. Munshi Jwala Prashad turned his face down in a dejected manner, and said that he could not relate what had happened.
When Justice Ahmad pressed him to tell, Munshi Jwala Prashad said that the rascals in the High Court registry had printed his name as ‘Justice Mushtaq Ahmaq’, instead of ‘Justice Mushtaq Ahmad’ in the High Court cause list They had told about this to several lawyers, who had planned to peep inside Justice Ahmad’s court when proceedings were going on, and enjoy the fun.
Now in Urdu the word ‘ahmaq’ means a fool.
Justice Mushtaq Ahmed was incensed, and said he did not like such a dirty joke, and so he would not sit in court that day.
In this way the case was adjourned
