Lawyers, academics and political leaders on Friday, 14 August, criticised the Supreme Court's decision to hold activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt of court in its suo motu contempt case, calling it "alarming", a "blow to the rule of law" and anticipating a "bleak future for free speech".
The apex court bench of Justices Arun Mishra, BR Gavai and Krishna Murari on Friday based their order on Bhushan's tweets about current Chief Justice of India SA Bobde and SC itself.
“The scurrilous allegations, which are malicious in nature and have the tendency to scandalise the court are not expected from a person, who is a lawyer of 30 years standing. In our considered view, it cannot be said that the above tweets can be said to be a fair criticism of the functioning of the judiciary, made bona fide in the public interest,” the court said in its judgment.