Indian Supreme Court criminal contempt proceedings

The Supreme Court of India initiated criminal contempt proceedings against Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and journalist Nikhil Wagle following allegations of scandalous and derogatory remarks made against Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

The proceedings were triggered by a petition from the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) after Raut allegedly claimed judges had attended social events with political leaders in London. While the Attorney General noted these claims lacked factual basis, the court expressed concern regarding attacks on judicial institutions.

Initially, the court issued show-cause notices and exempted both individuals from personal appearance to allow for written explanations. However, the court subsequently ordered both Raut and Wagle to appear for a hearing on November 17. While Wagle issued an unconditional apology and deleted the social media post in question, the SCBA noted the deletion occurred five days after publication.

In recent developments, the court has directed Sanjay Raut to appear in person for the November 17 hearing. The proceedings also involve social media content attributed to Raut that included references to the burning of Albania’s Supreme Court. While Raut has stated he intends to comply and has no intention of insulting the judiciary, the court has permitted Wagle to attend the hearing virtually in light of his apology.