SC issues contempt notice to Raut, Wagle over CJI remarks

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 The Supreme Court on Friday issued notice to Shiv Sena(UBT) Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut and senior journalist Nikhil Wagle on a criminal contempt petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) over their alleged remarks against the Chief Justice of India (CJI).  

A Bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed Raut and Wagle to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them. However, at this stage, the apex court exempted them from personal appearance.

The development comes amid controversy over Raut's remarks concerning the CJI after the latter declined to meet the Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to receive a memorandum on the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.

The CJI had said that convening a meeting to discuss pending cases would be contrary to the constitutional principle of separation of powers, an intrinsic facet of the basic structure doctrine.

During a media interaction on October 12, Raut had claimed that he had seen 60 to 70 judges, including the CJI, playing badminton with BJP leaders in London.

Appearing for the SCBA, senior advocate Pradeep Rai, submitted before the top court that the lawyers’ association was pained to initiate contempt proceedings, but felt that ignoring such remarks could encourage others to make similar statements.

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in the courtroom, said some people made such remarks deliberately, mistakenly believing that they could exert pressure on the judiciary, but such attempts could prove futile.

During the hearing, CJI Kant observed that people often failed to realise they were being trapped by those instigating them. He said courts had never lagged behind in protecting people's rights, adding that it was unfortunate that criticism continued despite this and expressing hope that better sense would prevail.

Meanwhile, Wagle, who had posted an objectionable remark against the CJI on his X handle on October 11, said in a letter addressed to Attorney General R. Venkataramani that he had deleted the post and tendered an unconditional apology to the CJI and the Supreme Court.

The senior journalist described the post as an emotional outburst stemming from anguish and frustration with the system, expressed regret over his language and said he did not seek to justify his remarks.

In a separate development, the Supreme Court on Thursday sought an explanation from Raut over his conduct while provisionally entertaining his petition as part of a plea filed by Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders challenging the Election Commission of India's (ECI) SIR exercise.

The Bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that the petition filed on behalf of Raut be entertained on a provisional basis, subject to his explaining his conduct.

The opposition leaders approached the Supreme Court on October 12, alleging large-scale deletions and irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. On Thursday, the apex court issued notice on their plea, returnable on October 27, and directed that the matter be tagged with the pending batch of petitions.

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