The Delhi High Court has initiated criminal contempt proceedings against several AAP leaders, including Arvind Kejriwal and Manish Sisodia, for their social media posts against a judge in relation to the excise policy case.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday closed the contempt proceedings against yoga guru Ramdev, his aide Balkrishna and Patanjali Ayurved Limited after accepting the apology tendered by them in the misleading advertisements case.
While closing the contempt proceedings, the bench observed that the matter ought to have come up for hearing earlier.
Venugopal said today people believe that they can 'boldly and brazenly condemn' the Supreme Court of India and its judges by exercising their freedom of speech, but under the Constitution, the freedom of speech is subject to the law of contempt.
The consent has been granted in response to a letter by an activist, Shachi Nelli, seeking to initiate contempt against Yati Narsinghanand for his statements in an interview that went viral on Twitter on the January 14.
Activist Saket Gokhale had sought consent, a condition precedent for initiating criminal contempt proceedings, of the top-most law officer to initiate the case against the former CJI who had reportedly said at an event that the judiciary is "ramshackled" and it is quite unlikely for a person to get a timely verdict.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday came down heavily on yoga guru Ramdev's Patanjali Ayurved for prima facie violation of the undertaking given by it in the court about its products and also about statements claiming their medicinal efficacy. A bench of justices Hima Kohli and A Amanullah issued a notice to Patanjali Ayurved and its managing director asking why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them.
The plea was filed a day after Attorney General K K Venugopal granted consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Kamra, saying the tweets are in bad taste and it is time that people understand that attacking the apex court brazenly will attract punishment under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1972.
The pleas came up for hearing before a bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan which heard the submissions of advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar, who appeared for one of the petitioners and claimed that Kamra had posted several tweets scandalous to the judiciary.
A section of lawyers on Thursday moved the Calcutta high court, seeking suo motu contempt proceedings against West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for her comments against the judiciary on August 14. A division bench, comprising Chief Justice J N Patel and Justice Joymalyo Bagchi, refused to start suo motu proceedings against Banerjee after the matter was mentioned before it.
After obtaining consent from Advocate-General R Shanmugasundaram on July 18 this year to file the contempt application, Dhoni preferred the present contempt application on October 11 this year to punish Sampath Kumar for his alleged action of making remarks against the judiciary in violation of the court's interim order passed in 2014.
Bhushan has been raising issues pertaining to judiciary and recently he was very critical and vocal of the way in which the top court handled the matters related to migrant workers amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
Questioning senior advocate Raju Ramachandran who appeared for Gandhi, the bench said, "You said the court should be circumspect in its remark but have you asked your client what kind of remarks she has made? Have you heard her podcast? She has made all kinds of remarks against everybody without even thinking. Have you seen her body language?"
The allegedly contemptuous tweets were critical of the top court and posted by Bhushan on Twitter on June 27 and June 29.
Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned contempt proceedings against a real estate tycoon -- at the centre of a corruption scandal involving Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry's son -- after the businessman sought time to hire a lawyer. A three-judge bench led by Justice Mian Shakirullah Jan adjourned the matter till June 21 when tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain told the court he needed time to engage a counsel.
Venugopal said it is true that the judgment of the top court also notes the fact that Savarkar has been found not guilty of Gandhiji's murder in the criminal trial. However, if one reads the judgment as a whole, it is clear that the court was disinclined to go into the findings of the Justice Kapoor Commission of Inquiry, the AG said.
Earlier, a row erupted after Surya said the court functioned virtually, but asked students to appear for NEET, prompting a Madras high court judge and an advocates associaton to seek contempt action against him, while six former judges took a stand against it.
The Supreme Court on Wednesday dropped contempt proceedings against former army chief V K Singh after he unconditionally apologised and withdrew entire statements made by him against the judiciary while reacting to the verdict on his age row.
Delhi High Court allows skier Manjeet to initiate contempt proceedings against an IOA official over alleged misquoting of court order in Winter Olympics selection row.
Pakistan's supreme court decided to launch contempt proceedings against Interior Minister Rehman Malik on Monday for "interfering" in a probe into alleged financial irregularities in a state-run steel firm, rejecting his explanation as being devoid of an "apology".
The apex court had last week turned the alleged contemptuous letters written by Justice Karnan against the Madras HC Chief Justice, which were addressed to the CJI, prime minister and others, into contempt proceedings against him.
The Delhi high court had directed the Centre on Tuesday to show cause as to why contempt should not be initiated against it for failing to comply with its order.
The bench of Justices SK Kaul and AS Oka expressed displeasure over the abstention of work, saying access to justice is the very foundation of the legal system.
The Supreme Court declined to initiate contempt action against a lawyer who hurled a shoe at the Chief Justice of India, citing the CJI's own refusal to proceed against him. The court is considering guidelines to prevent such incidents.
The Supreme Court has directed a Jharkhand-based lawyer to issue an unconditional apology to the High Court in a contempt case stemming from a viral courtroom exchange where he allegedly told a judge, "Don't cross the limit."
The Supreme Court on Monday stayed an interim order passed by Madras high court controversial judge Justice C S Karnan
The Gujarat High Court has initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against a man for attending a virtual hearing while sitting on a toilet seat. The incident occurred on June 20 and a video of it went viral. The court has directed the registry to issue a notice to the man, identified as Abdul Samad, to explain why he should not be prosecuted for contempt of court.
An advocate has requested the Attorney General's consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against a lawyer who attempted to throw a shoe at the Chief Justice of India in the courtroom. The incident involved shouting religious slogans and led to the lawyer's suspension.
Venugopal further wrote: "The depiction of the two fingers, with the legend that he means the middle one, is to deliberately insult the Chief Justice of India which would equally be an insult to the Supreme Court of India itself, which the Chief Justice heads."
A Supreme Court lawyer has written to the Attorney General seeking consent to initiate contempt proceedings against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his "grossly scandalous" remarks against the court. Dubey had criticized the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna following the Centre's assurance that it would not implement some of the contentious provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act. The BJP has distanced itself from Dubey's comments, calling them his personal views.
Kejriwal is seeking the recusal of a Delhi High Court judge in his liquor policy case, alleging a conflict of interest due to the judge's family ties to the central government's legal representation.
Rajya Sabha Chairman C P Radhakrishnan rejected the opposition's motion to remove Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar, citing a lack of evidence of misbehaviour and the fact that some charges are under judicial review.
Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan has expressed strong disapproval of a chapter in an NCERT Class 8 textbook addressing judicial corruption, prompting government action and a Supreme Court ban on the book's circulation.
Dubey launched a broadside against the Supreme Court on Saturday, saying Parliament and state assemblies should be shut if the apex court has to make laws.
Supreme Court judge Justice Manmohan stated that criticism of the existing legal system should be viewed as a suggestion for improvement rather than a condemnation. He highlighted the importance of addressing shortcomings to elevate the system and urged law firms to adopt a global perspective on legal education. He also emphasised the need for human oversight in technology and addressing the issue of pendency in the legal system.
An Indian-origin couple in the UK has been sentenced for breaching a disqualification order, operating companies despite a ban imposed after tax fraud claims.
The Attorney General has granted consent for initiating contempt action against an advocate, Rakesh Kishore, who hurled a shoe towards Chief Justice of India B R Gavai. The Supreme Court was informed of this development on Thursday.
A bench comprising Chief Justice B R Gavai and Justices Augustine George Masih and AS Chandurkar also directed that the offending video be immediately taken down and restrained the YouTube channel from republishing it or similar content.
The Supreme Court of India has expressed concern over a growing trend of litigants and lawyers making scandalous allegations against judges when court rulings are unfavorable. The court cautioned against such conduct, emphasizing the duty of lawyers to uphold the integrity of the judicial system.
In a relief to former BCCI president Anurag Thakur, the Supreme Court on Thursday cleared decks for his association with the board by modifying its January 2017 order.
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