Delhi HC accepts S Gurumurthy's apology, discharges him in contempt case
New Delhi (PTI): The Delhi High Court Thursday discharged S Gurumurthy, the editor of a Chennai-based Tamil news magazine, in a 2018 contempt case for his tweet against a judge after accepting his apology and "deep remorse".
The high court closed the contempt case filed by Delhi High Court Bar Association (DHCBA) against Gurumurthy.
"After considering the facts and circumstances, we accept S Gurumurthy's apology for the subject incident and consider it appropriate to discharge the show cause notice issued to him in the present contempt petition. He accordingly stands discharged," a bench of Justices Siddharth Mridul and Gaurang Kanth said.
During the hearing, the counsel representing the DHCBA submitted that the apology expressed by Gurumurthy and his statement that he has highest respect for judiciary, and in all humility he is truly sorry for any offence that may have been caused, be accepted as having purged the alleged contempt.
The court also noted that Gurumurthy had earlier appeared before it voluntarily and expressed remorse.
"Sometimes the cure is worse than the disease. Unnecessarily dragging an honourable judge's name in all the controversy, it is reported all the time.
"You think we rely on newspaper reports and tweets for our dignity? As we have said it in many judgments before, out dignity rests on a surer footing. We are not dependent on criticism, fair or unfair, for our dignity," Justice Mridul observed orally.
The DHCBA had filed the contempt petition in 2018 after Gurumurthy posted certain tweets against Justice S Muralidhar, then a judge of the Delhi High Court.
The high court had earlier dubbed as "mischievous" his tweets in connection with the judge's decision granting interim protection from arrest to Karti Chidambaram, the son of senior Congress leader P Chidambaram, in the INX Media money laundering case.
Gurumurthy's lawyer had earlier said the tweet was deleted after the high court took cognisance of the matter.
He had submitted there was no intention to commit any contempt and Gurumurthy had even appeared before the bench which was then hearing the case.
In April, Gurumurthy, the editor of Tamily weekly magazine Thuglak, had refused to file another affidavit tendering an unconditional apology for his tweet after the court observed that the 2018 affidavit did not contain any apology.
In October 2019, the high court had dropped contempt proceedings against Gurumurthy in another case for having re-tweeted an article against Justice S Muralidhar.
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Separate nodal officer in all districts to prevent female foeticides in Karnataka: Minister
Belagavi (PTI): Accepting that the female foeticide has not stopped in the state, Karnataka Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao on Tuesday said that the government is taking strict measures to prevent it.
The minister said the government is appointing separate nodal officers in all districts and tightening measures to prevent foeticide, which he called a "social evil".
He also assured that the government will consider strengthening legislation to control such activities.
The minister was responding to a question by BJP MLC C T Ravi in the Legislative Council.
"Female foeticides have certainly not stopped. If you look at the sex ratio, there is a lot of difference. I accept that this is happening," Rao said.
"Foeticides are not happening under pressure; voluntarily, it is happening, for not wanting a girl child. These things are happening based on the sex determination of the foetus at some hospitals. Sex determination is illegal, but with the advancement in technology, portable ultrasound machines have been developed, which can be easily carried anywhere, and scans and tests can be done. This needs to be controlled. We will bring it to the notice of the central government," he said.
In some districts and in a few hospitals, a higher number of male child births is happening. It is found with the help of intelligence input, the minister said.
"Information is being gathered on the taluk in which the male-female ratio is worsening, what is happening in which hospital, and appropriate action is being taken to crack down on such a network, after proper evaluation."
Decoy operations have been done at seven places in the last two years, to identify those involved in illegal activities linked to female foeticides, and actions have been taken against officials and hospitals involved, he said, adding that more needs to be done on priority.
Responding to a question by Ravi about whether any stringent legislation is being brought, Rao said, the government will consider strengthening the legislation and making it stricter to control this.
"Some amendments have been made to the existing laws in the last two years....advanced technology and the internet is being used to carry out such things, also oral medicines for abortions are available over the counter.
We need to look into bringing legislation to control them. The Food and Drug Administration has issued instructions to pharmacists that the sale of such drugs should be documented."
The minister also said that measures are also being taken for the effective implementation of the Pre-Conception and Pre-Natal Diagnostic Techniques (PC & PNDT) Act, and awareness is being created against the identification of female foetuses and female foeticide.
