SC asks Sanjay Raut to explain remarks about CJI

The Supreme Court on Thursday asked Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) MP Sanjay Raut to explain his remarks about the judiciary and the chief justice, Live Law reported.

On Monday, Raut had criticised Chief Justice Surya Kant for declining a meeting with Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi. The Congress leader had sought a meeting with Kant to submit a memorandum raising concerns over alleged irregularities in electoral processes, the functioning of the Election Commission and the large-scale deletions during the voter roll revision.

The Uddhav Sena leader had claimed that the chief justice and several judges had played badminton in London with Bharatiya Janata Party leaders and attended dinners with ministers, but Kant could not meet the leader of the Opposition.

Meanwhile, Attorney General R Venkataramani granted consent to the Supreme Court Bar Association to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Raut and journalist Nikhil Wagle for their remarks about the judiciary and the chief justice, the legal news outlet reported.

The court’s order seeking an explanation from Raut came as the bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was hearing petitions filed by Opposition leaders challenging the large-scale deletions during the special intensive revision of electoral rolls.

During the hearing, the court verbally said that it would ask one of the petitioners, an Opposition leader, to explain his conduct. The bench...

Read more