SC order on contempt plea against Kunal Kamra, Rachita Taneja on Friday

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 17

The Supreme Court will on Friday pronounce its order on petitions seeking initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against stand-up comic artist Kunal Kamra and comic artist Rachita Taneja for allegedly scandalising the judiciary.

After initial hearing on the petitions, a Bench headed by Justice Ashok Bhushan said it would pass appropriate orders on December 18.

It heard advocate Nishant R Katneshwarkar, who appeared for one of the petitioners and claimed that Kamra had posted several tweets scandalous to the judiciary.

"All these tweets are scandalous and we had sought consent from the Attorney General," Katneshwarkar told the Bench.

Attorney General KK Venugopal has already given his consent to initiate criminal contempt of court proceedings against both Kamra and Taneja for insinuating the Supreme Court after it gave bail to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami in an abetment to suicide case.

Terming Kamra's tweets as "highly objectionable", Venugopal had said in his opinion it "constitutes criminal contempt of court".

The tweets are not only in bad taste but clearly cross the line between humour and contempt of court, the Attorney General had noted.

In one of his tweets, Kamra showed the Supreme Court in saffron colour with a BJP flag in place of the Tricolour. He tweeted that honour had left the building (Supreme Court) long back and it was "the most supreme joke of the country". He also made nasty comments about a sitting Supreme Court judge.

Taneja had circulated a caricature that allegedly depicted a quid pro quo relationship between the judiciary and the government with regard to the Ayodhya verdict. She had also allegedly insinuated the top court for giving bail to TV journalist Arnab Goswami.

The consent of either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General is necessary, under section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, for initiating contempt proceedings against a person in the Supreme Court.

Join Whatsapp Channel of The Tribune for latest updates.