New Delhi: Lawyer-activist Prashant Bhushan, who was held guilty of contempt for his tweets criticising Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and the Supreme Court, has been fined Re one by the apex court.
If he doesn’t pay the fine by 15 September, he can either face jail for three months or a ban from practicing for three years.
A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said Bhushan must deposit Re one by 15 September. The bench, also comprising Justices BR Gavai and Krishna Murari, said an order on sentencing was a must in the given circumstances.
The court agreed with Attorney General KK Venugopal’s submissions that there does not need to be a stringent punishment or a jail term for Bhushan in view of his contribution as a lawyer.
Prashant Bhushan has said he will take a ‘collective decision’ on whether to pay the fine or confront the other options.
The Supreme Court, which had asked for an unconditional apology from the lawyer, noted, ‘We gave several opportunities and encouragement to (Prashant Bhushan) to express regret. He not only gave wide publicity to the second statement but also gave various interviews to press.’