The Supreme Court directed Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut to physically appear before the bench in a contempt petition over remarks directed at Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and the judiciary. Meanwhile, co-accused journalist Nikhil Wagle was granted permission to attend proceedings virtually because his legal counsel represented him in court on Wednesday. A bench consisting of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi sought assistance from lawyers to resolve the matter. The petition was filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association, which argued that social media posts by the accused were based on fake news.
Key points
The Supreme Court considers the contempt allegations critical because the matter concerns…: The Supreme Court considers the contempt allegations critical because the matter concerns the entire institution of the judiciary.
Bar Association representatives argued that social media posts maligned the judiciary and…: Bar Association representatives argued that social media posts maligned the judiciary and Chief Justice Surya Kant through fake news.
Co-accused individuals received different appearance terms based on whether they were act…: Co-accused individuals received different appearance terms based on whether they were actively represented by legal counsel in court.
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NEW DELHI:
Supreme Court Wednesday directed Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP
Sanjay Raut to appear before it in person over a contempt petition for his remarks against CJI Surya Kant and the judiciary. Although journalist Nikhil Wagle is also facing the same charge of scandalising the institution, he has been exempted from physical appearance and asked to be present virtually as he was represented by a lawyer in the court proceedings on Wednesday.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi said that the issue raised is very important as it pertains to the entire institution of the judiciary and sought assistance from lawyers.
The contempt petition was filed by Supreme Court Bar Association and all its office-bearers present in court contended that their social media posts were based on fake news and had maligned the judiciary and judges, including CJI.
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