SC issues show cause notices to Kunal Kamra and Rachita

Background- Kunal Kamra case

•  After the Supreme Court granted interim bail on 12th November to the editor-in-chief of Republic TV-Arnab Goswami in relation to a 2018 suicide abetment case, comedian Kunal Kamra posted a series of tweets which are:

•  "All lawyers with a spine must stop the use of the prefix 'Hon'ble' while referring to the Supreme Court or its judges. Honour has left the building (Supreme Court) long back."

•  "The Supreme Court of this country is the most Supreme joke of this country."

•  "The pace at which the Supreme Court operates in matters of 'National Interests' it's time we replace Mahatma Gandhi's photo with Harish Salve's photo..."

•  "DY Chandrachud is a flight attendant serving champagne to first class passengers after they're fast tracked through, while commoners don't know if they'll ever be boarded or seated, let alone served.

•  Kamra had also posted a picture of the Supreme Court in saffron colour with a flag of the BJP party.

• The said tweets invited a lot of complaints against Kamra and led to Attorney General KK Venugopal granting consent for initiation of contempt proceedings against him stating that his tweets were "not only in bad taste but clearly cross the line between humour and contempt of the court."

•  He further stated that, "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."

•  After AG's consent, Kamra refused to retract his tweets nor apologise for the same. 

Background- Rachita Taneja case

•  Rachita Taneja is a cartoonist and has her own webcomic ‘Sanitary Panels'.

•  She posted a cartoon (picture below) after Arnab Goswami was granted interim bail in a suicide abetment case. 

• AG KK Venugopal gave his consent for initiation of contempt proceedings against her stating that her tweets clearly implicated the Supreme Court as biased towards the ruling party. 

Show cause notice by Supreme Court

•  On 18th December, the Supreme Court issued notices to both Kunal Kamra and Rachita Taneja seeking initiation of contempt of court proceedings against them for their tweets. 

•  A three-judge bench, comprising justices Ashok Bhushan, R S Reddy and M R Shah has asked both Kamra and Taneja to file their response within six weeks to explain why the contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them adding that they do not have to personally appear in courts now.

What are your views on the tweets made by Kunal Kamra and Rachita Taneja? Let us know in the comment section below.