Activist seeks AG's consent to initiate contempt proceedings against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey

By A Representative

Mujahid Nafees, convener of the Minority Coordination Committee (Gujarat) and a petitioner in a Waqf-related case before the Supreme Court, has written to Attorney General of India R. Venkataramani seeking consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against BJP MP Nishikant Dubey for his recent remarks against the judiciary.

In his letter dated April 21, Nafees accused Dubey, the Lok Sabha MP from Godda (Jharkhand), of making "derogatory and scandalizing" statements against the Supreme Court, which allegedly undermine public confidence in the judiciary. The complaint cites Dubey’s interview with ANI on April 19, where he reportedly said, "In this country, only and only the Supreme Court is responsible for inciting religious wars" and accused the Court of "taking the country towards anarchy."

Dubey also allegedly questioned the judiciary’s impartiality in cases involving religious disputes, such as the Ram Temple, Krishna Janmabhoomi, and Gyanvapi Mosque, while controversially stating on social media: "If the Supreme Court is to make laws, then Parliament should be shut down."

Nafees argued that these remarks, made by a sitting MP, amount to "gross interference in the administration of justice" and violate the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. He urged the Attorney General to grant sanction for initiating legal action.

The letter includes media reports from Hindustan Times, Livemint, The Hindu, and ANI as evidence. Legal experts suggest that if the AG grants consent, the matter could be taken up by the Supreme Court.

Dubey, known for his outspoken criticism of the judiciary, has not yet responded to the complaint. The development comes amid heightened scrutiny of parliamentary conduct and judicial independence.

Under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, consent from the AG or the concerned court is mandatory before initiating criminal contempt proceedings against individuals for scandalizing or obstructing justice.

Swaminarayan, untouchability and the 'we are not Hindu' argument

By Rajiv Shah Following my blog on why the Eiffel Tower authorities should take all the blame for giving in to the Swaminarayan sadhus ’ bizarre demand to “invisibilise” women, including its female staff, during their visit to the internationally renowned Paris tourist centre on September 5, an interesting comment by one of the top academics drew my attention to something I vaguely knew about one of India’s most powerful and richest religious sects.

From margins to microphones: The rise of Dalit hip-hop in India

By Tersina Maria Toppo* A protest does not always arrive as a slogan shouted from a street corner. Sometimes, it arrives on a beat. A microphone replaces the megaphone, a music video becomes a public square, and the smartphone becomes the space where a history once pushed to the margins is narrated, debated, and shared.

Xi Jinping’s visit to USA: Recognition that China can't be contained?

By Vijay Prashad President Xi Jinping’s forthcoming visit to the United States must be understood as more than an encounter between two heads of state, but it must be seen as an encounter between two possible futures. In one future, the United States imposes a spiral of confrontation against China. Trade disputes harden into economic warfare, then economic warfare intensifies into technological blockades, technological blockades produce military encirclement, and finally military encirclement creates incidents, and incidents the danger of becoming an unimaginable war.

Counterview

Search This Blog