SC asks Delhi police commissioner to ensure presence of lawyer for making 'scandalous' remarks
New Delhi (PTI): The Supreme Court directed the Delhi police commissioner on Friday to ensure the appearance of lawyer Mukut Nath Verma, who has allegedly made "scandalous and frivolous" allegations against apex court judges and the members of the election committee set up for conducting the SCBA polls.
A bench of Chief Justice Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi was apprised by Supreme Court Bar Association President and senior advocate Vikas Singh and senior lawyer Vijay Hansaria, who also heads the SCBA election panel, that the Delhi Police was unable to trace and execute the bailable warrants issued against the lawyer earlier.
The court, which was hearing a 2023 plea of the SCBA on reforms in the association, had earlier taken a strong note of "a scandalous and frivolous complaint made by one Dr Mukut Nath Verma, Advocate, to the Tilak Marg police station against members of the Election Committee constituted by this court for conducting SCBA elections".
ALSO READ: ED questions former TDB officer citing money laundering in Sabarimala gold loss case
The bench had directed the lawyer to remain present in court on May 29, 2025, and said if he failed to appear, coercive steps would be taken to secure his presence.
On May 29 last year, Varma appeared before the court online, but the court insisted on his physical presence.
Later, bailable warrants were issued against Varma but those were returned with a finding that police could not trace him.
Now, the court has directed the police commissioner to ensure Varma's presence before it on February 23 by using "lawful coercive measures".
In the meanwhile, the court asked SCBA secretary Pragya Baghel to collate the suggestions of the bar body, retired apex court judge L N Rao and Hansaria in a tabular form for passing necessary directions.
Hansaria suggested that the tenure of the elected representative of the SCBA should be two years as against the existing one year, on the lines of the Supreme Court Advocate-on-Records Association (SCAoRA).
The SCBA president suggested that the physical appearances of lawyers before apex court benches be given primacy for enabling them to be voters of the apex bar body and weed out fake ones.
He referred to an instance where a person, running a marriage bureau, was registered as an SCBA member, eligible to vote in its elections.
The bench said it will pass directions after taking note of the collated suggestions on the next date of hearing.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Bypoll results will decide the future of Congress in Karnataka: BJP leader Ashoka
Bengaluru (PTI): Leader of Opposition BJP in the Karnataka Assembly R Ashoka said the results of the bypolls in Davanagere South and Bagalkote assembly constituencies will decide the future of the ruling Congress in the state.
The bypolls were necessitated following the demise of sitting Congress MLAs Shamanur Shivashankarappa and H Y Meti, who represented Davanagere South and Bagalkote constituencies respectively.
The ruling Congress has fielded Shamanur Shivashankarappa’s grandson and Karnataka Minister S S Mallikarjun’s son Samarth Shamanur in Davanagere South and Umesh Meti in Bagalkote, who are locked in a direct contest with BJP candidates T Dasakariyappa and Veerabhadrayya Charantimath.
According to Ashoka, there is a contest between the poor and the rich in the upcoming bypolls, scheduled on April 9.
"The Congress will lose this election, and the future of the state will be decided. Since Chief Minister Siddaramaiah has said ‘Make the poor win’, the BJP has fielded poor candidates,” the BJP leader said in a press conference.
In Davanagere, the BJP has given a ticket to an ordinary person, whereas Congress has given tickets to powerful and influential people. In Bagalkote, there is a very good opinion about the BJP candidate, he claimed.
According to him, the Congress has given space to dynastic politics in both places. Therefore, the BJP has a strong chance of winning in both constituencies.
The LoP said if the Congress candidate wins in Davanagere, it is understood that Muslims will not get opportunities in the future, and therefore, Muslims are opposing the Congress party.
He also charged that Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, who talks about uniting backward classes, has not given a ticket to backward class candidates.
