September 14, 2020 4:50:27 pm
Lawyer and social activist Prashant Bhushan speaks to journalists in front of the Supreme Court in New Delhi, India. (AP)
Activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan filed a petition for review in the Supreme Court on Monday against his sentence in last month’s criminal contempt case, saying that paying a symbolic fine does not mean he has accepted the verdict.
The high court had found Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt for two of his tweets and asked him to pay a symbolic fine of Re 1. While convicting him, the Supreme Court had told Bhushan to pay the fine before September 15. Otherwise, he would have to suffer a simple prison sentence of three months and he would be prohibited from practicing before her for three years.
“Just because you are paying the fine does not mean that you have accepted the verdict. We have filed a writ petition that there should be an appeals procedure created for the contempt conviction, “Bhushan told the media before presenting the fine.
Bhushan said he had received contributions from various corners of the country to pay the fine, and those contributions would create a “truth fund” to provide legal assistance to those prosecuted for dissenting opinions.
“The state is using all means to silence dissenting voices. The ‘fund of truth’ will be used to protect the personal freedom of those who face persecution from the state, ”said Bhushan.
Bhushan also spoke about the arrest of former Jawaharlal Nehru University student Umar Khalid for his alleged role in the Delhi riots, and said the government was using all kinds of tactics to quell criticism.
The lawyer had filed a court petition in superior court on Sunday, praying that those found guilty by the court in an original criminal contempt case would have the right to file an appeal within court that should be heard by a different and larger court. This would reduce the chances of “retaliatory decisions”, he had said in his plea.
He also maintained that existing laws “neither prohibit nor prohibit” what he sought, noting that the higher court had in the past developed special rules to deal with cases involving the death penalty.
Bhushan, in his earlier statement, refused to offer an apology to the Supreme Court for the tweets, saying that what he had expressed represented his genuine belief that he continued to hold.
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