The Supreme Court on Friday held activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court over two of his tweets. Hearing on quantum of punishment will be held on 20 August.
The senior lawyer can be punished with a simple imprisonment for a term which may extend up to six months or with a fine of up to Rs 2,000 or with both, according to The Indian Express.
The top court had on 5 August reserved its verdict in the matter after Bhushan responded in an affidavit that “such expression of opinion however outspoken, disagreeable or however unpalatable to some, cannot constitute contempt of
court.”
On 22 July, the top court had issued a show cause notice to Bhushan after initiating the criminal contempt against him for his two tweets.
While reserving the order in the contempt case, the top court had dismissed a separate petition filed by Bhushan seeking recall of the 22 July order by which the notice was issued against him in a contempt proceeding initiated for his tweets, according to PTI.
In his affidavit, Bhushan said that the notice to him was based on two tweets — one posted on 27 June and the other on 29 June. He said that the 29 June tweet regarding the CJI riding a motorcycle was “made primarily to underline my anguish at the non physical functioning of the Supreme Court for the last more than three months, as a result of which fundamental rights of citizens, such as those in detention, those destitute and poor, and others facing serious and urgent grievances were not being addressed or taken up for redressal.”
The 27 June tweet, he said, “is my bonafide opinion about the state of affairs in the country in the past six years and the role of the Supreme Court and in particular the role of the last 4 CJIs.”
(With PTI inputs)