Prashant Bhushan Contempt Case: Plea In SC Seeks Video Recording & Live Telecast Of Court Proceedings [Read Application]

The applicant, Advocate Amritpal Singh Khalsa, has submitted that instant contempt case has been widely criticized all over the media by a "lobby" aimed to destabilize the Institution and to criticize it to the lowest possible level, on failure to obtain favourable orders from the Court.

This lobby, he alleges, has been instrumental in holding protests against the SC verdict in Chandigarh, Chennai. Further, it is alleged that the lobby has the "gall and timid" to get multiple press releases by retired judges, civil societies, Bar Associations both foreign and Indian, issued supporting Prashant Bhushan for his widespread tweets which vilify the Supreme Court.

In this backdrop, he has submitted that video-recording of proceedings of Courts in this case would bring to an end to the perception, generated by the lobby in the mind of public at large, that the Supreme Court has been unfair to Advocate Prashant Bhushan.

He has relied on the case of Swapnil Tripathi v. Supreme Court of India, AIR 2018 SC 4806, whereby it was held that right to life takes within its ambit the right to have the proceedings of all Courts and Tribunal video recorded and in appropriate cases even allowed to be telecast live.

It is submitted that live telecast of sentence order which scheduled to be pronounced on August 25, would set a deterrent message to public at large, that the criticism which tend to shake to public faith in the institution would be dealt with iron fist.

It may be noted that the SC registry had rejected an intervention application filed in this case, stating that contempt is a matter strictly between the Court and the contemnor.

Prashant Bhushan Contempt Case : SC Registry Rejects Impleadment Application Filed By 16 Civil Society Activists

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