Updated: November 12, 2020 10:30:16 pm
Comedian Kumal Kamra
Attorney General KK Venugopal gave his consent to start criminal contempt of court proceedings against stand-up comedy artist Kumal Kamra over tweets about the Supreme Court, apparently in connection with his order granting provisional bail to Republic TV editor-in-chief Arnab Goswami, saying the tweets “are not just bad. taste but clearly cross the line between humor and contempt of court. “
“I have reviewed each of the tweets that you have attached for consent to proceed for criminal contempt against Sh. Kumal Kamra. The tweets that I extract below are not only in bad taste, but they clearly cross the line between humor and contempt of court, ”said the attorney general in his response to the letters requesting his consent to the contempt process.
Venugopal added that “I find that today people believe that they can boldly and unabashedly condemn the Supreme Court of India and its judges exercising what they believe to be their freedom of expression. But according to the Constitution, freedom of speech is subject to contempt law and I think it is time for people to understand that attacking the Supreme Court of India in an unjustified and blatant manner will attract punishment under the Contempt Act to the Courts of 1972 “.
His letter referred to two of Kamra’s tweets posted Wednesday, including one that read “Honor has left the (Supreme Court) building a long time ago.”
The AG noted that the comedian had also posted an image of the SC in saffron colors with a BJP flag instead of the Tricolor.
“Is”, Venugopal said, “It is a rude insinuation against the whole of the Supreme Court of India that the Supreme Court of India is not an independent and impartial institution and neither are its judges, but on the other hand it is a court of the ruling party, the BJP , existing only for the benefit of the BJP ”.
“All of this in my opinion constitutes criminal contempt of court,” his letter read.
The letter from Attorney General KK Venugopal stating that, in his opinion, the comments made by Kunal Kamra constitute contempt of court.
The attorney general’s office is known to have received multiple requests seeking his approval for criminal contempt proceedings against Kamra for the tweets.
Among those who had sent letters to the prosecutor were Shrirang Katneshwarjar, a law student from Aurangabad, Rizwan Siddiquee, a lawyer and two lawyers from Pune, Amey Abhay Sirsikar and Abhishek Sharad Raskar.
They tried to draw the attention of the AG’a to four tweets from Kamra, including one that mentions Judge DY Chandrachud. A court of judges Chandrachud and Indira Banerjee had on Wednesday granted provisional bail to Goswami, who was in judicial custody in connection with an incitement to the suicide case.
Regarding his other two tweets, the attorney general said that “they are also highly objectionable, and it may be for the Court to decide whether these tweets would also constitute criminal contempt of the Supreme Court of India.”
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