Contempt of Supreme Court: Prashant Bhushan convicted, 20th verdict on sentence

(PTI) New Delhi, Ta. Friday, August 14, 2020

The Supreme Court on Friday convicted activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan for making two defamatory tweets against the judiciary. Prashant Bhushan's sentencing hearing will now take place on August 20.

Chief Justice S. a. The apex court had initiated contempt of court proceedings against Prashant Bhushan after taking suo moto over remarks made against Bobade and four former chief justices. In the case, Prashant Bhushan said that although his tweet was unpleasant, it was not a contempt of court. It does not stand in the way of justice.

Stating that Prashant Bhushan has tried to defame the entire institution of the Supreme Court, the apex court said that if such attacks on the judiciary were not firmly suppressed, national honor and dignity could be affected.

Judges Arun Mishra, b. A bench of R Gavai and Krishna Murari said, “Tweets based on distorted facts are tantamount to criminal attempt in our view. As a result, we find Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court.

The apex court said arguments on how much Bhushan should be sentenced in the case would be heard on August 20. In this case, the convict was sentenced to a simple jail term of up to six months as part of his sentence. A fine of Rs 2,000 can be imposed on both.

The bench noted that Bhushan's tweet on June 27 on the management of the judiciary over the last six years and his tweet on July 22 against Chief Justice SA Bobade were both insulting and defamatory of the judiciary. Attempts to shake the judiciary, a strong foundation of constitutional democracy, must be severely curtailed.

The bench said that Bhushan had not only criticized the two judges but also criticized the functioning of the entire Supreme Court in the last six years. The Supreme Court cannot justify such an attack on the judiciary. Such a tweet could play an important role in the destruction of Indian democracy. There is no doubt that such a tweet could shake people's confidence in the judiciary.

Prashant Bhushan has been a part of the judiciary for the last 30 years, the bench said. He should protect the judiciary. Instead they are criticizing the judiciary and defaming the court.

Chief Justice S. a. Referring to Prashant Bhushan's tweet about Bobade, the bench said that on July 22, Bhushan allegedly allegedly paid Rs 1 lakh to a BJP leader at Raj Bhavan in Nagpur. The first part of the tweet about the 50 lakh motorcycle being driven by the Chief Justice may have been a personal comment, but the second part of this tweet was tantamount to criticizing the entire judiciary. Bhushan's tweet implies that Chief Justice Bobade has put the Supreme Court in lockdown mode and deprived citizens of their basic right to justice.