The Supreme Court on Tuesday, August 25, adjourned the hearing in the 2009 criminal contempt case against activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan.
The SC bench, comprising Justices Arun Mishra, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari, listed the matter before another bench on September 10 and have requested the Chief Justice of India SA Bobde to refer the contempt case to an "appropriate bench".
Justice Mishra said, "Let us leave this to an appropriate bench". "I am short of time. I am demitting office", Justice Mishra observed.
The apex court bench dictating the order said: "Let the matter be listed on September 10 before an appropriate bench."
Senior advocate and Prashant Bhushan's lawyer Rajeev Dhavan argued that any question in reference to corruption by judges and whether alleging it amounts to contempt should be examined by a constitution bench. Rajeev Dhavan also said that the use of the word "corruption" does not amount to "contempt of court".
Whats's the case
The contempt case involves statements that Prashant Bhushan made during an interview to a magazine back in November 2009, in which he said half the 16 Chief Justices of India were corrupt.
Prashant Bhushan had also informed the top court that making corruption charges against the judges would not amount to contempt of court and mere utterance of corruption charge could not be contempt of court.
(With agency inputs)
