Kerala Congress CJI Post: Supreme Court Issues Contempt Notice
Party says the post was uploaded without approval and an unconditional apology was issued; the court will decide if it is criminal or civil contempt.
Image: Supreme Court of India, Wikimedia Commons
The Supreme Court on Friday, 6 November, issued notice to all office bearers of the Kerala unit of the Congress over a post on the party’s official X account that targeted Chief Justice of India Surya Kant. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi acted on a lawyer’s complaint, which the court registered as a writ petition, and will examine whether the post amounts to criminal or civil contempt, according to a Business Standard report.
Amici Appointed, Attorney General Asked to Assist
The bench said it would appoint senior advocates Arvind Datar and Siddharth Agarwal as amicus curiae to help it decide which kind of contempt, if any, the post attracts. It also asked Attorney General R Venkataramani to assist the court. Business Standard quoted the bench as saying that the authority of the court “doesn’t require political endorsement; it rests on the rule of law”, and that judicial restraint should not be mistaken for institutional weakness.
The Post and the Apology
The post went viral on 12 October and was later deleted. Appearing for the Kerala unit, its lawyer told the court that the material was uploaded without the office bearers’ approval and that an unconditional apology had already been issued. Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee president Sunny Joseph has also made a statement on the matter. This report carries only the court’s notice and the party’s stated position; no finding has been made against any individual.
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A Complaint Dated 13 October
Advocate Vineet Jindal wrote to the Chief Justice on 13 October. The Supreme Court registered his letter as a writ petition on 30 October. The petition also asks authorities to check whether a political demonstration on the court’s premises on 12 October, involving Rahul Gandhi and other leaders, was unauthorised or obstructed the court’s work.
No Date for the Next Hearing Yet
The report does not state when the matter will be heard next. The amici are expected to examine whether the post falls under criminal or civil contempt before the court decides how to proceed. More court reports are tracked under the Supreme Court tag on IPB News.
Source: Based on reporting by Business Standard, with background from Bar & Bench and Outlook India.
Image: Supreme Court of India, Wikimedia Commons.
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