Attorney General of India KK Venugopal has been requested in separate letters from advocates Vineet Jindal and Shashank Shekhar Jha to begin criminal contempt proceedings against Senior Advocate and Rajya Sabha MP Kapil Sibal. Following the seasoned advocate’s contentious remarks about the Indian judicial system and the Supreme Court of India, the two attorneys sent this plea. In the letter advocate Vineet Jindal wrote “Mr. Kapil Sibal has directly made allegations with intent to disgrace and scandalise the sitting judges of the highest court, the Supreme Court, of our country. The statements by Mr. Sibal have scandalized the judgments passed by the Supreme Court judges and accused the judges of being corrupt.”Advocate Jindal further said, “Mr. Sibal’s statement was aired widely speculated on internet and News Publication in which Mr.Sibal has passed derogatory and scandalous statements in context of Hon’ble Supreme Court of India.”

In order to bring criminal contempt charges against Kapil Sibal, Vineet Jindal has requested the Attorney General’s approval under section 15 (1)(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act 1971 and rule 3 of the regulations governing such proceedings from 1975. Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha also requested permission from the AG to begin criminal contempt proceedings against Kapil Sibal in a separate letter.

Vineet Jindal has sought the Attorney General’s consent under section 15 (1)(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act 1971, read with rule 3 of the rules to regulate the proceedings for the Contempt of the Supreme court 1975 to initiate criminal contempt against Kapil Sibal.In a separate letter, Advocate Shashank Shekhar Jha also sought consent from the AG to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Kapil Sibal.

In his letter Shashank Shekhar Jha said, “That this is becoming a common trend and setting the wrong precedence that lawyers with political affiliations use judiciary as a means to push their political agenda thereby criticising the Court and the whole legal system by making reckless allegations against judges who do not decide cases in their favor.”

Kapil Sibal spoke against judiciary in an event. While speaking at an event called “People’s Tribunal”, organized to discuss the “Judicial Rollback of Civil Liberties”.Kapil Sibal said, “I do not want to talk like this about a Court where I have practiced for 50 years but the time has come. If we don’t speak it, who will? The reality is such that any sensitive matter which we know has a problem is placed before certain judges and we know the outcome.”

Sibal continued by raising concerns about the process by which various benches are established for various cases as well as the judiciary’s independence. Sibal continued by saying that you are seriously mistaken if you believe the Supreme Court will grant you relief.

 

 

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