The contempt case involves statements that Prashant Bhushan made during an interview. (File)
New Delhi:
In a 2009 case involving comments by lawyer Prashant Bhushan on judges, the Supreme Court today requested Chief Justice SA Bobde to place it before an “appropriate bench”.
The court listed the case against Prashant Bhushan before another bench on September 10.
“I am short of time. I am demitting office. This requires detailed hearing of four to five hours,” Justice Arun Mishra observed.
The court said “It’s not a question of punishment, it’s a question of faith in the institution. When people come to the court for relief when that faith is shaken that’s a problem.”
Prashant Bhushan’s lawyer Rajeev Dhawan had argued that any question in reference to corruption by judges – whether it amounts to contempt or not – should be examined by a constitution bench.
The Supreme Court had said in the last hearing that it will examine larger questions including under what circumstances allegations of judicial corruption can be made. It also talked about examining what procedure must be adopted in contempt cases if allegations of corruption are raised against sitting and retired judges.
The contempt case involves statements that Prashant Bhushan made during an interview to Tehelka magazine in 2009, in which he said half the 16 Chief Justices of India were corrupt.
Justice Arun Mishra said: “We wanted to finish this. We wanted to end the case, but the basic question is – 1) if you want to speak to the media; 2) in case you have any grievance against any judge, what should be the process; 3) In what circumstances can such allegations be made is also a question.”
Rajeev Dhavan had argued that the use of the word corruption does not amount to contempt of court.
