The Supreme Court on Tuesday closed a contempt case from 2009 against lawyer Prashant Bhushan and Tehelka magazine founder Tarun Tejpal, Bar and Bench reported.
A three-judge bench headed by Justice Indira Banerjee passed the order in view of an explanation given by Bhushan and an apology tendered by Tejpal. “In view of the explanation/apologies made by the contemnors, we don’t deem it necessary to continue the matter,” the court said, according to Live Law.
In 2009, Bhushan had alleged in an interview with the Tehelka that eight of the previous 16 chief justices of India were corrupt. The Supreme Court had initiated a contempt case based on his statement.
In September 2010, Prashant Bhushan’s father, senior counsel Shanti Bhushan, submitted a list in a sealed cover of eight former chief justices whom he accused of being “definitely corrupt”.
The contempt case had been dormant for many years, before it was taken up by a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra. The case was listed before the Supreme Court again on Tuesday.
In a statement before the court, Prashant Bhushan claimed that he had used the word “corruption” in a wider sense to mean a lack of propriety.
“I did not mean only financial corruption or deriving any pecuniary advantage,” he added. “If what I have said caused hurt to any of them or to their families in any way, I regret the same.”
Bhushan said that he did not intend to lower the prestige of the judiciary and that he had complete faith in it. “I regret if my interview was misunderstood as doing so, that is, lower the reputation of the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court, which could never have been my intention at all,” he said.
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