NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to hear a plea seeking contempt proceedings against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his remarks targeting the judiciary and Chief Justice of India (CJI) Sanjiv Khanna. The petition, mentioned before a bench comprising Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih on Tuesday, will be taken up next week.
“This is a very serious issue,” the petitioner’s counsel told the bench.
Justice Gavai asked if the counsel was seeking to file a contempt petition, to which the lawyer responded that a petition had already been filed. It was also submitted that the Attorney General had been approached for consent to initiate contempt proceedings but no action had followed. The petitioner urged the court to at least direct social media platforms to remove the video of Dubey’s remarks.
On Monday, the court had told another petitioner that its permission was not required to initiate contempt proceedings against Dubey. The BJP MP had launched an attack on the judiciary over its handling of the Waqf (Amendment) Act, suggesting that if the Supreme Court continued to make laws, there would be no need for Parliament or State Assemblies.
“The Supreme Court is going beyond its limits. If everything is to be decided there, shut down Parliament,” Dubey had told ANI on Saturday, accusing the judiciary of provoking religious discord and calling CJI Khanna responsible for “civil wars.”
Dubey further criticised the apex court’s ruling on Article 377 and questioned its authority in legal matters, alleging that it had taken over legislative functions and was undermining constitutional structures. “You want to take this country towards anarchy,” he added.
The BJP distanced itself from the MP’s comments, with party president JP Nadda calling them Dubey’s personal opinion. Nadda reiterated the party’s respect for the judiciary and warned leaders against making such statements.
