Earlier, Mr. Bhushan had said ‘four previous Chief Justices of India played a role in destroying democracy in India in the last six years.’ He, later on, reacted to a photo of Chief Justice Bobde on a Harley Davidson and stated that he was without a helmet and face mask while the court is shut due to lock down and denying citizens their right to justice.
On August 14, the bench had held Prashant Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt for his two derogatory tweets against the judiciary. It had then maintained that judges’ magnanimity cannot be stretched to become a weakness against “a malicious and calculated attack on the judiciary.”
The Supreme Court of India has now imposed a penalty of Re.1 on activist- Lawyer Prashant Bhusan for the criminal contempt case. If the lawyer fails to do so, he will be jailed for 3 months besides a debarment from practice for a period of 3 years.
The bench, also comprising Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari, said an order on sentencing was a must in the given circumstances.
“There does not need to be a stringent punishement or a jial term for Bhushan in view of his contribution as a lawyer.” Submited Attorney General KK Venugopal and the court agreed with him.
“Freedom of speech can’t be curtailed but rights of others need to be respected” – Supreme Court
