Contempt Case: Supreme Court to Pronounce Quantum of Sentence Against Prashant Bhushan on Monday

On August 25, a bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari reserved the verdict after a detailed hearing on the matter. On Bhushan's refusal to apologise, the court asked, "What is wrong in apologising? Is this word so bad?"

New Delhi: The Supreme Court will on Monday pronounce the quantum of sentence against advocate-lawyer Prashant Bhushan, convicted for contempt of court for his tweets against the judiciary.

On August 25, a bench comprising Justices Arun Mishra, B.R. Gavai and Krishna Murari reserved the verdict after a detailed hearing on the matter. On Bhushan’s refusal to apologise, the court asked, “What is wrong in apologising? Is this word so bad?”

During the hearing, the bench had also given 30 minutes to Bhushan to think over his stand for not expressing regret in connection with the tweets.

Submitting before the bench his suggestion, Attorney General K.K. Venugopal had said the case should be close without having to punish Bhushan. The Attorney General insisted that the top court should forgive Bhushan and take a compassionate view on the matter.

To which, the bench noted that a person should realise his mistake and cited that it gave time to Bhushan, but he refused to apologise. The AG then said Bhushan should withdraw all statements and express regret.

Notably, the Supreme Court had initiated suo motu contempt proceedings against Bhushan for allegedly making derogatory comments against the top court on June 27 in a tweet that alleged that the last four Chief Justices had played a role in the “destruction of democracy” during undeclared “emergency” for the last six years. Another tweet on June 29 alleged that the “present Chief Justice” rode a bike in Nagpur “while keeping the apex court in lockdown and denying citizens their right to access to justice”.