The Delhi High Court on Wednesday deprecated the shoe-throwing incident at Chief Justice of India (CJI) BR Gavai.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Devendra Kumar Upadhyaya and Justice Tushar Rao Gedela said that the incident not only hurt the members of the Bar but the Bench as well.
The Court made the remark while hearing a public interest litigation (PIL) seeking the removal of the videos related to the incident.
“We share your [petitioner's] concerns, perhaps with more intensity. It has not only hurt the members of the Bar but the Bench as well. It is not about an individual, but the institution. Such incidents, in a society, are not only to be deprecated but certain measures are to be taken as well," the Court remarked.
Additional Solicitor General (ASG) Chetan Sharma appeared for the Central government and stated that he shared the petitioner’s concerns.
The counsel appearing for the petitioner stated that they are also seeking directions to ensure that if such incidents happen in future, the identity of the person should be hidden so that they do not receive publicity.
"The people who are doing such acts, they are doing it for false publicity. The moment their identity is hidden, it will discourage others from taking such action," the counsel said.
However, ASG Sharma brought to the Court's notice that contempt of court proceedings initiated by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) are pending before the top court.
Sharma said that those proceedings may not be limited to the initiation of contempt, but that the top court has hinted that its scope may be extended as well.
After considering the submissions, the High Court said that it will keep the matter pending at the High Court and if the petitioner (Tejasvi Mohan) fails to intervene in the Supreme Court proceedings, the High Court will hear the case.
Consequently, the matter was deferred for further consideration on December 4.
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