The Supreme Court agreed to consider contempt action against three lawyers allegedly caught bragging, in a sting operation aired by TV channels, that they had beaten up Jawaharlal Nehru University Students’ Union president Kanhaiya Kumar for three hours in the Patiala House Courts complex.
A Bench of Justices J. Chelameswar and A.M. Sapre said this allegation had never been made before the court and asked counsel Prashant Bhushan to file a fresh application.
Making a mention before the Bench, Mr. Bhushan said the same lawyers had earlier told the media that they had co-ordinated the mob violence in the court complex on February 15 and 17. He said the lawyers were allegedly seen boasting that they would use petrol bombs the next time and were even ready to go to jail to beat up Mr. Kumar in his cell.
Asking the court to take suo motu cognisance of the visuals, Mr. Bhushan said that what the lawyers were seen saying was an obvious “trampling of the law” and sought contempt of court notice to them.
The Bench asked whether anyone had lodged a complaint with the police or had Mr. Kumar himself complained. Mr. Bhushan alleged that the police were complacent. Senior advocate Indira Jaising, appearing for N.D. Jayaprakash, a JNU alumnus, said that even the National Human Rights Commission had said Mr. Kumar was under duress.
