New Delhi, Aug 20, 2020: Several civil society groups and individuals have come together to express solidarity with Prashant Bhushan, a senior advocate and civil rights activist who was convicted for contempt of court.

The Supreme Court on August 20 gave the 63-year-old Delhi-based lawyer three days “to reconsider” his statement and sought an unconditional apology by August 24.

Bhushan was drawn into the contempt of court case for two tweets on Chief Justice S A Bobde and the Supreme Court that the apex court found offensive.

“There is no person on Earth who cannot commit a mistake. You may do hundreds good things but that doesn’t give you a license to do 10 crimes. Whatever has been done is done. But we want the person concerned to have a sense of remorse,” said Justice Arun Mishra, one of the judges.

The court rejected Bhushan’s request to defer the hearing on his sentencing for contempt. “I am pained to hear that I am held guilty of contempt of court. I am pained not because of the would-be sentencing, but because I am being grossly misunderstood. I believe that an open criticism is necessary to safeguard the democracy and its values,” Bhushan said.

“My tweets need to be seen as an attempt for working for the betterment of the institution. My tweets, I consider, was discharge of my highest duty. Apologising would also be dereliction of my duty. I do not ask for mercy. I do not appeal for magnanimity. I cheerfully submit to any punishment that court may impose,” he added.

As the top court asked him to reconsider his statement, he said: “I may reconsider it if my lordships want but there won’t be any substantial change. I don’t want to waste my lordships’ time. I will consult my lawyer.” Justice Arun Kumar Mishra then replied: “You better reconsider it… don’t just apply legal brain here.”

Justice Mishra said this was his first such contempt ruling. “There is a Lakshman Rekha (boundary) for everything. Why cross it? We welcome pursuing good cases in public interest but remember, this is a serious thing. I haven’t convicted anyone of contempt in 24 years as a judge. This is my first such order,” he said.

Meanwhile several organizations, including Church groups have written letters of support and many held demonstrations against Bhushan’s conviction in the case.

Bhushan “has been a restless crusader for the rights of the weakest sections of our society,” point out a statement signed by more than 130 prominent personalities from the legal community such as Justice Madan Lokur, Justice A P Shah, Advocates Mihir Desai, Vrinda Grover, Sanjay Hegde and Indira Jaising, among others.

Many social activists such as Medha Patkar, Teesta Setalvad, Harsh Mander, and Javed Anand also signed the statement along with former public servants such as Admiral Ramdas, retired super cop Julio Ribeiro and retired IAs officer N.C. Saxena.

“Initiation of contempt proceedings against Prashant Bhushan has a chilling effect on the exercise of the right to free expression,” said 16 civil society members and journalists and activists such as P Sainath, Aruna Roy, Anjali Bhardwaj, Jagdeep Chhokar and Bezwada Wilson in their intervention application in the suo moto contempt case against Bhushan at the apex court.

Another statement released by as many as 1,300 members of the Bar addressing the Supreme Court said, ”A Bar silenced under the threat of contempt, will undermine the independence and ultimately the strength of the Court. A silenced Bar, cannot lead to a strong court.”

Many eminent lawyers and members of the Bar such as Janak Dwarkadas, Navroz H Seervai, Vrinda Grover, Dushyant Dave, Mihir Desai, Dairus Khambata, Huzefa Ahmadi, noted that the “public of India at large” have expressed their discontent towards Bhushan’s conviction.

“The tweets made by Prashant Bhushan were expression of anguish felt by thousands of victimized citizens who are at the receiving end of the brutal state power and who cry and hope for judicial protection,” said a statement issued in solidarity with Bhushan by a group called Citizens for Democracy.

Source: ndtv.com and sabrangindia.in