New Delhi: The Supreme Court Monday imposed a fine of Re 1 on lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan for criminal contempt of court for his tweets criticizing the top court and Chief Justice of India (CJI) SA Bobde.
A three-judge bench has asked the lawyer-activist to pay the fine amount by September 15 failing which he will have to undergo simple imprisonment for three months and will be barred from practising or working as a lawyer for three years.
The court had August 14 held Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt of court and stated that the allegations levelled in the tweets against the court and CJI are malicious in nature and have the capability to malign the court’s image in the public domain.
Bhushan’s tweets were based on distorted facts and have the effect of destabilising the foundation of the judiciary, the court had added.
The 63 year old lawyer had earlier refused to apologize or retract from his comments made on the top court.
“An apology cannot be a mere incantation and any apology has to be sincerely made. If I retract a statement before this court that I otherwise believe to be true or offer an insincere apology, that in my eyes would amount to the contempt of my conscience and of an institution (Supreme Court ) that I hold in highest esteem,” he said.
However, Attorney General KK Venugopal had urged the court to not punish Bhushan and let him off with a warning. The apex court, however, refused to let him off without an apology.
PNN