SC notice to Yati Narasinghanand in contempt case for remarks against judiciary

The Supreme Court on Friday issued a notice to controversial seer Yati Narsinghanand for his alleged contemptuous remarks against the top court after his release on bail in a hate speech case

A bench of Justices A S Bopanna and M M Sundresh took note of a submission by senior advocate Nithya Ramakrishnan on behalf of petitioner Shachi Nelli that consent has been received by then Attorney General K K Venugopal to file a contempt petition.

Mumbai-based activist Nelli was earlier asked by the court to file the transcript containing alleged derogatory remarks against the judiciary.

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The petitioner has filed a contempt petition against Narasinghanand, claiming his comments undermined the majesty of the institution and the authority vested in the Supreme Court.

"Any such attempt to harm the majesty of the institution and diminish the faith that citizens of India have in the court can result in complete chaos and anarchy. This is perhaps the most vicious attack on the Supreme Court in its history," her plea claimed.

Narsinghanand is the head priest of Dasna temple at Ghaziabad.

He has been under judicial custody after his arrest in Haridwar Dharm Sansad case related to alleged hate speech.

In response to a letter by Nelli seeking contempt proceeding against Narsinghanand, Venugopal had said “I have gone through your letter and watched the video of the statements made by Yati Narsinghanand. I find that the statement made by Yati Narsinghanand, that “those who believed in this system, in these politicians, in the Supreme Court, and in the army will all die the death of a dog”, is a direct attempt to lower the authority of the Supreme Court in the minds of the general public”.