The Supreme Court will pronounce on Monday its interim orders in a decade-old contempt case against noted civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan for his remarks about judicial “corruption” in an interview to Tehelka magazine in 2009.
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Tehelka magazine editor-in-chief Tarun Tejpal is a co-respondent with Mr. Bhushan in the contempt case.
A three-judge Bench led by Justice Arun Mishra had reserved the case for orders on August 4 after an almost day-long hearing which was not accessible to the media. The video and audio links were snapped during the hearing.
A two-page judicial order published later in the day had said the court was yet to receive the “explanation/apology” “submitted” by Mr. Bhushan and Mr. Tejpal.
Also read: Supreme Court reserves orders in Prashant Bhushan contempt case
The Bench had noted in its order that it would go on to hear the contempt case if “we do not accept the explanation/apology”.
A communication released by Mr. Bhushan's office later on August 4 had talked to the lawyers in the case via WhatsApp call.
It said Mr. Bhushan had refused to apologise and said the word ‘corruption’ was used in the interview in a wide sense to mean “lack of propriety”. He had not meant that the judiciary was financially corrupt.
Mr. Bhushan had said the remarks were not meant to hurt judges' families or tarnish the judiciary.
