The Supreme Court on Friday emphasized the importance of mutual respect among the three branches of government — the judiciary, the legislature, and the executive. The court highlighted that “unwarranted comments” could unnecessarily cause friction between these constitutional pillars.
During the proceedings, Justices B R Gavai and K V Viswanathan addressed the recent comments made by Telangana Chief Minister A Revanth Reddy regarding the court’s decision to grant bail to Bharat Rashtra Samithi (BRS) leader K Kavitha, who is implicated in the alleged Delhi excise scam. While the justices acknowledged that fair criticism of judicial decisions is acceptable, they cautioned against overstepping boundaries in critique.
The issue came to light during a plea hearing that sought to transfer the 2015 cash-for-votes trial involving Chief Minister Reddy from Telangana to Bhopal. The Supreme Court denied the transfer request and advised Reddy to refrain from interfering with the prosecution’s efforts in this ongoing case.
This judicial reminder followed a prior session on August 29, where the court expressed severe displeasure over Reddy’s insinuations of a political “deal” influencing the bail decision for Kavitha. Such statements, the court noted, could undermine public confidence in the judiciary.
Reddy, recognizing the potential impact of his words, expressed “unconditional regret” on August 30. In a statement posted on the social media platform X, he reaffirmed his respect for the judiciary, clarifying that his previous remarks were misconstrued.
