By Arré Bench Aug. 24, 2020
Declining permission to an advocate to file a contempt plea against actor Swara Bhasker for comments on the Supreme Court’s verdict in the Babri Masjid and Ayodhya land dispute case, Attorney General of India KK Venugopal said the comment was the “perception of the speaker”.
A week after activist Prashant Bhushan was pulled up and charged with contempt of court over two tweets related to the judiciary, the Attorney General has rejected a second potential contempt case, this time against actor Swara Bhasker.
An advocate had earlier sought to file a contempt plea against Bhasker for statements she made following the Babri Masjid verdict. The advocate described these comments as “derogatory”, “scandalous”, and an “attack on the institution”.
Now Plea Before Attorney General Seeks Sanction To Initiate Contempt Proceedings Against Swara Bhasker. This is systematic targeting of every individual, using every means, to silence all strong critics of the Government.
— Joy (@Joydas) August 17, 2020
However, Attorney General KK Venugopal, who must give approval before a contempt petition is filed in the Supreme Court, disagreed.
He said the statements were the “perception of the speaker” and didn’t “offer any comment on the Supreme Court itself or say anything that would scandalise or tend to scandalise… the authority of the Supreme Court,” NDTV reported.
The comments in question, which were apparently made at an event in Mumbai, did not constitute criminal contempt, the Attorney General went on to say.
Attorney General's No To Contempt Plea Against Actor Swara Bhasker https://t.co/3fWK5PGGYR pic.twitter.com/GOBlkFWEMi
— NDTV (@ndtv) August 24, 2020
During the event, Bhasker had said, “We are living in a country where the Supreme Court states that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was unlawful and, in the same judgment, rewards the same people who brought down the mosque”.
“We are ruled by a government that doesn’t believe in our Constitution… we are ruled by police forces that do not believe in the Constitution… it seems we are now in a situation where our courts are not sure whether they believe in the Constitution…” she further said, adding that the way forward had been “shown to us” by civil society protests.
The actor was referring to the women-led protests against the controversial Citizenship Amendment Act at Delhi’s Shaheen Bagh. Bhasker, who is an alumnus of Jawaharlal Nehru University, has also been an outspoken supporter of its students for years.
The Attorney General has now said that action cannot be taken against her, especially considering that the first half of the statement was factual, as well as the “perception of the speaker”.
Petition seeking criminal contempt proceedings against actor Swara Bhasker (@ReallySwara) rejected by Attorney Gen. K.K. Venugopal. Part of her statement called 'factual' in letter to petitioner. pic.twitter.com/vn2TkEDaOp
— Mojo Story (@themojo_in) August 24, 2020
Not satisfied with the AG’s response, the petitioner has now approached Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta.
The petitioners have now approached Solicitor General Tushar Mehta. https://t.co/eYC7YSFZAD
— scroll.in (@scroll_in) August 24, 2020
The second statement, Venugopal said, was vague and didn’t refer to any particular court, before quashing the proceedings and earning the praise of none other than activist Prashant Bhushan himself.
Kodos to the AG Mr Venugopal for boldly asserting his independent position as a Constitutional authority & refusing permission to the malafide attempt to charge @ReallySwara for Contempt of Courthttps://t.co/MzaWnU4hWy
— Prashant Bhushan (@pbhushan1) August 23, 2020
Even as the case against Bhasker has been quashed, meanwhile, the Supreme Court has given Bhushan a few days “to reconsider” his two tweets that had prompted the court to file suo motu contempt charges . The court is set to announce its final verdict in that case on Monday.
Bhushan has received immense support from fellow lawyers, journalists and academics. And the AG’s decision on Bhasker has also reinstated our hope in free speech.
Welcome the AG’s decision upholding the right to free speech: [Breaking] "Not An Attack Against Supreme Court": AG KK Venugopal Declines Consent To Initiate Contempt Proceedings Against Swara Bhaskarhttps://t.co/71LB61HM9Khttps://t.co/FQVlvcQ4FY
— N. Ram (@nramind) August 23, 2020
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