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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Danish national detained for illegally entering restricted area along Indo-Pak border in Bikaner
Jaipur (PTI): A 40-year-old Danish national was detained near the India-Pakistan international border in Rajasthan's Bikaner district for allegedly entering a restricted area without permission, police said on Sunday.
The man, identified as Rene, has been sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre in Bikaner for detailed questioning, and his passport details were being verified, they said.
He was found in suspicious circumstances on Hospital Road in Khajuwala area, close to the international border. Locals alerted the police as foreign nationals are rarely seen in the area, officials said.
A police team led by ASI Kishan Singh reached the spot and, considering the sensitivity of the area, informed the Border Security Force (BSF) and other security agencies. The agencies jointly questioned the man. No suspicious items were recovered from his possession, the police said.
During preliminary questioning, the man identified himself as a resident of Denmark and said he had arrived in India around seven months ago on a one-year tourist visa.
Officials said he initially responded in English but later stopped answering questions and reportedly broke down at the police station.
Superintendent of Police Mridul Kachawa said the foreign national was detained near the international border as he did not have the required permit to visit the restricted area.
"He has been sent to the Joint Interrogation Centre in Bikaner for detailed questioning. His passport details are being verified and efforts are being made to contact the embassy concerned. Further facts will emerge after interrogation," the officer said.
The police said Khajuwala is a sensitive border area where prior permission is mandatory for foreign nationals. Initial assessment suggests the man may have entered the area due to lack of awareness about restrictions, though all angles are being probed.
Further investigation is underway, the officials added.
