Mitali Palnitkar
Published On: January 21, 2022 at 17:26 IST
On January 21, 2022, the Attorney General (AG) KK Venugopal granted Consent for initiation of Criminal Contempt of Court Proceedings against Yati Narsinghanand who made derogatory remarks against the Supreme Court in an interview that went viral on social media on January 14, 2022.
Shachi Nelli, an activist had written to the AG seeking his consent for filing a Criminal Contempt of Court Petition. If such a Petition is to be filed by a private individual then the consent of Attorney General is necessary according to Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 and Rule 3(a) of Rules to Regulate Proceedings for the Contempt of Supreme Court of India, 1975.
In an interview, Narsinghanand had stated, “We have no trust in the Supreme Court of India and the Constitution. The Constitution will consume the 100 crore Hindus of this country. Those who believe in this Constitution will be killed. Those who believe in this system, in these politicians, in the Supreme Court, and in the Army will all die the death of a dog.”
In the letter, Nelli provided all the statements made by Narsinghanand and the details of the clip in which he made the statement.
The letter stated, “Any such attempt to harm the majesty of the institution and diminish the faith that citizens of India have in the Court can result in complete chaos and anarchy. This is perhaps the most vicious attack on the Supreme Court in its history.”
The letter also emphasized on the point that the remarks shall not remain unaddressed as it would lower the authority of the Supreme Court in a considerable measure.
The Attorney General found that Narsinghanand’s statement was an attempt to lower the Supreme Court’s authority in the minds of general public. Therefore, he gave his Consent to Shachi Nelli to initiate Criminal Contempt of Court Proceedings against Narsinghanand.
Also read: What constitutes Contempt of Court?