Relief for Swara as AG refuses action
NEW DELHI: Attorney general KK Venugopal on Sunday declined to grant permission for the initiation of criminal contempt of court proceedings against Bollywood actor Swara Bhasker for a statement that a petitioner said was critical of the Supreme Court and its judgment in the Ayodhya title dispute case.
Bhasker’s statement that the Supreme Court acknowledged the illegality of the demolition of the Babri Masjid in its November 2019 judgment and yet rewarded those who brought down the mosque “appears to be a factual statement” and reflects Bhasker’s perception of the incident, Venugopal said in his letter to the petitioner, Usha Shetty, declining the request.
“The statement appears to be a factual one and is a perception of the speaker. The comment refers to the judgment of the Supreme Court, and is not an attack on the institution. This does not offer any comment on the Supreme Court itself or say anything that would scandalize or lower the authority of the Supreme Court. In my opinion, this statement does not constitute criminal contempt,” the AG’S letter stated.
The plea against Bhasker, which was filed by Shetty on August 17, was placed before the AG for his consent to list the matter before the court. As per Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act and Rule 3 of Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of Supreme Court, the consent of the AG or the solicitor general is required before the apex court can hear a criminal contempt petition filed by an individual.
The November 9 judgment of the Supreme Court in the Ayodhya dispute, which was delivered by a bench headed by then Chief Justice of India ( CJI) Ranjan Gogoi, had awarded the 2.77 acre disputed site for the construction of a temple; it directed the Centre to allocate a five-acre plot elsewhere for the construction of a new mosque.
The 16th Century Babri mosque was demolished in December 1992 by Hindu activists who believe that the site marks the birthplace of the warrior-god Ram.