Supreme Court agrees to hear plea on Nishikant Dubey's remarks on judiciary next week

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to consider next week a plea questioning BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's recent criticism of the apex court and Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna, and sought removal of derogatory videos from social media platforms.

A bench of Justices B R Gavai and Augustine George Masih decided to examine the matter as a counsel quoted Dubey as saying that the CJI was responsible for "civil wars" in the country and after the video of his remarks went viral, derogatory phrases were being used on social media for the top court.

"This is a very serious issue," the counsel said.

"What (do) you want to file? You want to file a contempt petition," the bench asked the counsel, who said that he has already filed a petition in the matter in the apex court, as the government was not taking action against the MP.

He said one of his colleagues wrote to attorney general R Venkataramani seeking his consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Dubey but there was no outcome.

"The issue is, at least give directions today to the social media platforms to remove these videos," he said.

The bench said the matter would be listed for hearing next week.

On Monday, the top court told another petitioner that he did not need its permission to file a contempt petition against Dubey over his remarks.

The parliamentarian launched a broadside against the Supreme Court on April 19, saying Parliament and state assemblies should be shut if the apex court has to make laws.

The BJP MP's remarks came following the Centre's assurance to the court that it would not be implementing some of the contentious provisions of the Waqf (Amendment) Act till the next day of hearing after the court raised questions over them.

Subsequently advocate Anas Tanveer, representing one of the litigants in the Waqf Act case, and another advocate Shiv Kumar Tripathi wrote to Venkatramani seeking consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Dubey over his "grossly scandalous" remarks "aimed at lowering the dignity" of the top court.

The BJP, however, had on April 19 distanced itself from Dubey's criticism of the Supreme Court, with party president J P Nadda calling the comments his personal views.