The Supreme Court on Monday agreed to hear on September 3 a contempt petition filed by senior advocate Rajeev Dhavan against a Chennai-based man for allegedly intimidating him for representing the Muslim side in the Ayodhya appeals.
Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi consented to list the petition on Tuesday after senior advocate Kapil Sibal, representing Mr. Dhavan, said his client has been at the receiving end of letters and WhatsApp messages which are of a threatening nature.
Mr. Dhavan has annexed a letter written by Professor N. Shanmugham, who said he is 88 years of age, with foreboding remarks about the senior lawyer's participation in the case on the side of the Muslim appellants.
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Mr. Dhavan appears for the Sunni Waqf board.
Intimidating WhatsApp messages
"By sending the letter the Alleged Contemnor has committed Criminal Contempt because he is intimidating a Senior Advocate who is appearing for a party/parties before this Hon’ble Court and discharging his duties as a Senior Advocate and he ought not to have sent such a letter and therefore the Petitioner is constrained to file the present Contempt Petition before this Hon’ble Court," Mr. Dhavan submitted in his petition
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Mr. Dhavan said this was not the only instance of threats being made to him for appearing in the Ayodhya case. "It needs to be mentioned that the petitioner has been accosted both at home and in the court premises with intimidating behaviour by several persons," he petition.
He referred to several WhatsApp messages sent by a Sanjay Kalal Bajrangi in this context. He has annexed screenshots of the messages in his petition.