Lead attorney Prashant Bhushan said on Monday that he accepted the Supreme Court’s verdict in the contempt case “gracefully”, adding that the Re 1 fine imposed on him has already been paid. Bhushan was found guilty of criminal contempt of court on August 14 for his tweets against the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India SA Bobde.
“My lawyer and senior colleague Rajiv Dhavan contributed 1 Re immediately after today’s contempt sentence, which I gratefully accepted,” Bhushan tweeted.
My attorney and senior colleague Rajiv Dhavan contributed 1 Re immediately after today’s contempt sentence, which I gratefully accepted. pic.twitter.com/vVXmzPe4ss
– Prashant Bhushan (@ pbhushan1) August 31, 2020
Also read: How Prashant Bhushan’s criminal contempt case progressed in the Supreme Court
Earlier on Monday, the supreme court imposed a fine of Re 1 on the activist lawyer in the contempt case.
A three-judge court had said in the order that if Bhushan does not deposit the amount by September 15, he will have to go through a simple three-month prison sentence and be banned from practicing for three years. In finding him guilty, the court had said that Bhushan’s tweets were based on distorted facts and had the effect of destabilizing the base of the judiciary.
The first tweet for which Bhushan was found guilty criticized the operation of the CS in the past six years. He argued that historians would mark the role of the supreme court in contributing to what, according to Bhushan, will be seen as the destruction of democracy.
Bhushan, in his second tweet, where Chief Justice of India SA Bobde is seen sitting on a stationary Harley Davidson motorcycle, said: “The CJI drives a 50 rupee motorcycle owned by a BJP. [Bharatiya Janata Party] leader in Raj Bhavan, Nagpur, without wearing a mask or helmet, at a time when he keeps the SC in lockdown mode, denying citizens their fundamental right to access justice! “
The case against Bhushan was registered on July 9, and the first hearing on the matter was held on July 22.
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