Criminal contempt sought against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey over remarks on Supreme Court, CJI

New Delhi, Apr 20: A request has been made to the Attorney General for India seeking sanction to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Nishikant Dubey for allegedly making derogatory remarks against the Supreme Court and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, LiveLaw has reported. According to the letter sent by an Advocate-on-Record (AoR) under Section 15(1)(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act, Dubey reportedly accused the Supreme Court of “taking the country towards anarchy” and held the Chief Justice “responsible for the civil wars taking place in the country.” These remarks were made in response to the apex court’s directions setting deadlines for the President and Governors to act on pending legislation.

The letter further alleges that Dubey made communally charged comments regarding the Court’s intervention in matters related to petitions challenging the Waqf Amendment Act.

The AoR described Dubey’s remarks as “deeply derogatory” and “dangerously provocative,” arguing that they amount to scandalising the authority of the judiciary.

“He recklessly attributes national unrest to the Hon’ble Chief Justice of India, thus scandalising the highest judicial office in the country and attempting to provoke public dissent, outrage, and possible unrest,” the letter reads as reported by Livelaw news. It adds that such baseless statements constitute a grave affront to the independence and integrity of the judiciary and called for criminal contempt proceedings to be initiated. BJP National President J.P. Nadda distanced the party from the remarks, stating that the comments were Dubey’s personal views and did not reflect the official stance of the party.