The Supreme Court on August 25 reserved its verdict on the sentence to be awarded to activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan in the criminal contempt case against him, LiveLaw has reported.
During the hearing, the bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra gave around 30 minutes to Bhushan to "think over" and reconsider his stand in the matter. Meanwhile, Attorney General KK Venugopal urged the court to take a "compassionate view".
Expressing his displeasure at the practice of lawyers going to the press in case of matter that are sub-judice, Justice Mishra observed that lawyers have to be tolerant and should not just attack the judiciary. He said that while fair criticism is always welcome, judges cannot go to the press to explain or defend themselves and are often humiliated and condemned.
On August 24, activist-lawyer Prashant Bhushan refused to offer an apology to the Supreme Court for his two tweets against the judiciary, saying that the same represented his bonafide belief. He said that issuing an apology for what he said were an expression of his beliefs would be "insincere and contemptuous".
Prashant Bhushan has been held guilty of contempt for two of his tweets and the apex court is hearing the matter to decide upon the sentence.
Meanwhile, in a 2009 contempt case against Bhushan, the SC has agreed to refer the matter to an "appropriate bench". The 11-year-old case pertains to an interview by the lawyer to Tehelka magazine, where he reportedly levelled allegations of corruption against the court and some of its judges.
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