AG K K Venugopal refuses consent for initiating contempt action against Swara Bhaskar
New Delhi: Attorney General K K Venugopal has refused his consent for initiating criminal contempt of court proceedings against Bollywood actor Swara Bhaskar for her alleged "derogatory and scandalous" statements against the Supreme Court over the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid case verdict.
The consent of either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General is necessary, under section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, for initiating contempt proceedings against a person.
Lawyer Anuj Saxena had sought consent of the Attorney General for initiating contempt action against the actor.
Venugopal, in a letter to Saxena on August 21, said the actor's statement, which is in two paragraphs, appears to be a factual one and is a perception of the speaker.
"I do not think that this is a case where the offence of scandalising the court or lowering the authority of the court would arise. I, therefore, decline consent to initiate contempt proceedings against Swara Bhaskar," Venugopal said.
Saxena and others have alleged that Bhaskar made these statements at a panel discussion on February 1, 2020 organised by the Mumbai Collective.
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Road rage: Businessman assaulted for attempting to run over four men in Navi Mumbai
Mumbai (PTI): A group of people assaulted a businessman after he attempted to run over four men with his SUV in an incident of road rage in Navi Mumbai, police said on Saturday.
The police have registered two cases in connection with the incident that occurred in the Sanpada area on Thursday night, an official said.
A group of around 20 people dragged businessman Digvijay Shelke (28) out of his SUV and assaulted him after the latter allegedly attempted to run over four men following an argument, he said.
The official said a quarrel broke out after a man rammed his scooter into a parked car belonging to one Ayush Patil, who was talking to his friends outside a hotel.
Patil and his friends later demanded that the man pay for the damage he did to the car. The man then called up his brother, Bhim Tamrakar, a security guard, and an argument ensued, he said.
Tamrakar called up Shelke, who arrived at the scene and confronted Patil and his friends and allegedly attempted to run them over in a fit of rage, the official said.
A group of 20 people soon gathered outside the hotel and thrashed Shelke, he said.
The official said a case of attempt to murder has been registered against Shelke, and based on his complaint, 23 people have been booked for rioting, assault, and wrongful confinement under the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita (BNS).
