The Supreme Court Monday imposed a “nominal fine” of Re 1 on activist lawyer Prashant Bhushan, who was convicted for criminal contempt for his two tweets against the judiciary, saying he has attempted to “denigrate the reputation of the institution of administration of justice”. The apex court said it was “showing magnanimity” and instead of imposing any severe punishment, it was sentencing Bhushan with a nominal fine of Re 1.
A bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra said the fine be deposited with the apex court registry by September 15, failing which Bhushan would undergo a simple imprisonment of three months and debarred from practising in top court for three years.
“In our considered view, the act committed by the contemnor (Bhushan) is a very serious one. He has attempted to denigrate the reputation of the institution of administration of justice of which he himself is a part,” said the bench, also comprising Justices B R Gavai and Krishna Murari.
“At the cost of repetition, we have to state that the faith of the citizens of the country in the institution of justice is the foundation for rule of law which is an essential factor in the democratic set up,” the bench said in its 82-page judgement on quantum of punishment.
