New Delhi, October 16, 2026 (Yes Punjab News)
The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to Shiv Sena (UBT) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut and senior journalist Nikhil Wagle on a criminal contempt petition filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) over their alleged remarks against the Chief Justice of India (CJI).
A Bench comprising CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed Raut and Wagle to show cause why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them. However, the court exempted them from personal appearance at this stage.
The development follows a controversy over Raut’s remarks concerning the CJI after the latter declined to meet Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge to receive a memorandum regarding the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls.
The CJI had reportedly said that convening a meeting to discuss pending cases would be contrary to the constitutional principle of separation of powers, an intrinsic feature of the basic structure doctrine.
During a media interaction on October 12, Raut claimed that he had seen 60 to 70 judges, including the CJI, playing badminton with BJP leaders in London.
Appearing for the SCBA, senior advocate Pradeep Rai told the Bench that the lawyers’ association was pained to initiate contempt proceedings but believed that ignoring such remarks could encourage others to make similar statements.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, who was present in the courtroom, said some people made such remarks deliberately, mistakenly believing they could exert pressure on the judiciary. He added that such attempts could prove futile.
During the hearing, CJI Surya Kant observed that people often failed to realise they were being trapped by those instigating them. He said the courts had never lagged behind in protecting people’s rights and expressed regret that criticism continued despite this, while hoping that better sense would prevail.
Meanwhile, Wagle, who had posted a controversial remark about the CJI on his X account on October 11, wrote to Attorney General R. Venkataramani, stating that he had deleted the post and tendered an unconditional apology to the CJI and the Supreme Court.
The senior journalist described the post as an emotional outburst arising from anguish and frustration with the system. He expressed regret over his choice of words and said he did not seek to justify his remarks.
In a separate development, the Supreme Court on Thursday sought an explanation from Raut regarding his conduct while provisionally entertaining his petition as part of a plea filed by Rahul Gandhi and other INDIA bloc leaders challenging the Election Commission of India’s (ECI) SIR exercise.
The Bench of CJI Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi directed that the petition filed on Raut’s behalf be entertained provisionally, subject to his explaining his conduct.
The opposition leaders approached the Supreme Court on October 12, alleging large-scale deletions and irregularities in the revision of electoral rolls. On Thursday, the court issued notice on their plea, returnable on October 27, and directed that the matter be tagged with the pending batch of petitions.
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