Attorney General Grants Consent For Contempt Action Against Artist Rachita Taneja For Illustrative Tweets Against Supreme Court

The Attorney General for India, KK Venugopal has granted consent to a law student for initiating contempt of court proceedings against a comic illustrator Rachita Taneja, for her illustrative tweets depicting Supreme Court being hand in glove with the ruling party, BJP.

The first tweet against which the AG has given consent for contempt is an illustration of Arnab Goswami intimidating Supreme Court by stating that BJP is his "Father".

The Attorney General has stated in his letter approving the contemptuous initiation that the said depiction is a "gross insinuation of the Apex Court of this country".

"If the first tweet depicting Arnab Goswami with the Supreme Court of India and Bhartiya Janata Party by his side and with Arnab mouthing the words "Tu jaanta nahin mera baap kaun hai" were to be believed, one would have to proceed on the basis that the BJP is somehow interested in protecting Arnab Goswami and has prevailed upon the Supreme Court to do so.," the AG states in his letter granting consent

In this background, it is stated by the Attorney General for India that the tweet gives a clear implication that the Top Court is biased towards the ruling political party, the BJP and would tailor its judgments for the benefit of the Ruling Party.

Another tweet for which the AG has granted consent refers to the Supreme Court as "Sanghi Court of India" with a saffron flag instead of the tricolour in the illustration.

In this light, the AG has stated that the reference being made is to the RSS sangh with the legend "Arnab Gents bail, real journalists get jail, independent judiciary is fail," carries a gross insinuation against the Apex Court of India that the top Court has ceased to be an impartial organ of the state.

The AG adds,

"The tweet is clearly calculated to undermine the public confidence in the independence and impartiality of the Supreme Court of India"

The third tweet, AG says is also highly objectionable and has unequivocally alleged that there was a bargain by which the judgment pertaining to the Ram Mandir at Ayodhya was delivered to favour the BJP's stand in exchange for a Rajya Sabha seat.

Recently, the Law Officer had also granted consent for initiation of contempt proceedings against comedian Kunal Kamra, over his tweets about the Supreme Court in the wake of its order granting interim bail to Arnab Goswami.

Finding Kamra's tweet to be highly objectionable, the AG granted his consent under Section 15(1)(b) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 to initiate criminal contempt. He said,

"I find that today people believe that they can boldly and brazenly condemn the Supreme Court of India and its judges by exercising what they believe is their freedom of speech. But under the Constitution, the freedom of speech is subject to the law of contempt and I believe that it is time that people understand that attacking the Supreme Court of India unjustifiedly and brazenly will attract punishment under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1972."

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