The Supreme Court on Monday indicated that it will pass a brief order dismissing a Public Interest Litigation (PIL) that sought contempt proceedings against BJP Member of Parliament Nishikant Dubey over his controversial remarks against the apex court and the Chief Justice of India.
A bench led by Chief Justice Sanjiv Khanna told petitioner-advocate Vishal Tiwari that it will not entertain the PIL but will issue a short order stating the reasons.
Dubey, the Lok Sabha MP from Godda, Jharkhand, had stirred controversy after allegedly stating that the “Supreme Court is taking the country towards anarchy” and holding “Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna responsible for the civil wars taking place in the country.”
“The dignity of the institution has to be protected. It cannot go on like this,” petitioner Tiwari told the bench, while pointing out that senior members of the legal fraternity, including leaders of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA), had condemned the remarks.
Tiwari contended that Dubey’s statements were “contemptuous,” “hateful,” and amounted to “a very provocative, scandalising attack” on both the CJI and the Supreme Court. He urged the Court to invoke Article 129 of the Constitution, which empowers it to punish for contempt.
The PIL also cited provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, alleging that Dubey’s comments were punishable under both laws.
