<p>The Supreme Court has sentenced three men to three months imprisonment for contempt of court, in view of the "scurrilous and scandalous allegations" made by them against the top court's judges.</p>.<p>A bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose declined to let off leniently contemnors Maharashtra and Goa President Indian Bar Association, Vijay Kurle, National President, Indian Bar Association Nilesh Ojha and National Secretary, Human Rights Security Council, Rashid Khan Pathan, saying "there is not an iota of remorse or any semblance of apology on behalf of them".</p>.<p>"We have also held in our judgment that the complaints were sent by the contemnors with a view to intimidate the judges. Therefore, it is obvious that this is a concerted effort to virtually hold the judiciary to ransom," the bench said.</p>.<p>However, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown conditions, the bench directed that the sentence would come into force after 16 weeks.</p>.<p>The Court rejected applications for adjournment as well as recall of the judgement passed on April 27 holding them guilty in the case. One of the contemnors contended that the bench was in hurry to decide the matter as Justice Gupta was to demit office on May 6.</p>.<p>When the matter was heard through video conferencing, one of them contended that about 100 lawyers wanted to argue on his behalf.</p>.<p>The bench, however, said a long hearing was given to the contemnors and the judgment was reserved on March 2, 2020. Till April 27, 2020, when the judgment was pronounced, no grievance was raised that the contemnors have not been given a proper hearing, the bench said.</p>.<p>The Court said all the grounds raised in the three recall applications were virtually identical, questioning correctness of the judgment on many grounds.</p>.<p>"No recall application can lie on these grounds and the proper remedy for the contemnors is to file a review petition, if so advised," the bench said.</p>
<p>The Supreme Court has sentenced three men to three months imprisonment for contempt of court, in view of the "scurrilous and scandalous allegations" made by them against the top court's judges.</p>.<p>A bench of Justices Deepak Gupta and Aniruddha Bose declined to let off leniently contemnors Maharashtra and Goa President Indian Bar Association, Vijay Kurle, National President, Indian Bar Association Nilesh Ojha and National Secretary, Human Rights Security Council, Rashid Khan Pathan, saying "there is not an iota of remorse or any semblance of apology on behalf of them".</p>.<p>"We have also held in our judgment that the complaints were sent by the contemnors with a view to intimidate the judges. Therefore, it is obvious that this is a concerted effort to virtually hold the judiciary to ransom," the bench said.</p>.<p>However, in view of the COVID-19 pandemic and the lockdown conditions, the bench directed that the sentence would come into force after 16 weeks.</p>.<p>The Court rejected applications for adjournment as well as recall of the judgement passed on April 27 holding them guilty in the case. One of the contemnors contended that the bench was in hurry to decide the matter as Justice Gupta was to demit office on May 6.</p>.<p>When the matter was heard through video conferencing, one of them contended that about 100 lawyers wanted to argue on his behalf.</p>.<p>The bench, however, said a long hearing was given to the contemnors and the judgment was reserved on March 2, 2020. Till April 27, 2020, when the judgment was pronounced, no grievance was raised that the contemnors have not been given a proper hearing, the bench said.</p>.<p>The Court said all the grounds raised in the three recall applications were virtually identical, questioning correctness of the judgment on many grounds.</p>.<p>"No recall application can lie on these grounds and the proper remedy for the contemnors is to file a review petition, if so advised," the bench said.</p>
