SC issues notice to lawyer Prashant Bhushan on contempt case over CBI tweets
New Delhi, Feb 6: The Supreme Court on Wednesday sought a response from activist and lawyer Prashant Bhushan on contempt pleas by Attorney General K K Venugopal and the Centre for his tweets allegedly criticising the court over the appointment of M Nageswara Rao as interim CBI director.
Bhushan was given three weeks to reply.
A bench of Justices Arun Mishra and Naveen Sinha said it would deal with the larger question of whether it is open for lawyers or any other person to criticise the court in a sub judice matter which would lead to influencing public opinion.
Criticising the court may also lead to interference in the course of justice, the bench added.
"This issue required to be heard in length, notice issued," it said, listing the matter for further hearing on March 7.
Bhushan, in his tweets, alleged that the Centre, represented by Venugopal, misled the apex court on the issue of Rao's appointment.
On Tuesday, the Centre moved the apex court seeking initiation of contempt proceedings against Bhushan for his tweets and said they amounted to making false statement in a pending case. This was days after Venugopal's contempt petition against Bhushan.
Venugopal, in his contempt plea, referred to the extracts of the minutes of the meeting of the high powered selection committee comprising Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Justice A K Sikri and leader of the largest opposition party Mallikarjun Kharge.
The Centre's plea also referred to the contents of Venugopal's petition and submitted that they be also read as part of its plea.
Venugopal's petition referred to Bhushan's February 1 tweets in which he alleged that the government appeared to have misled the apex court and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of the meeting of the high-powered selection committee.
Through his tweets, Venugopal said, Bhushan appeared to have deliberately intended to cast aspersions on the "integrity and honesty" of the attorney general who had placed the minutes of the meeting before the apex court during the February 1 hearing.
On February 1, a bench headed by Justice Arun Mishra was hearing a petition filed by NGO Common Cause challenging the Centre's decision to appoint Rao, an IPS officer, as interim CBI director.
Venugopal said in his petition that Bhushan's tweets "scandalise or tend to scandalise and lower or tend to lower the authority of this court".
He said during the hearing on February 1, he had handed over to the bench the minutes of meeting of the high-powered committee held on January 9 and January 10.
According to the petition, signatures of all the three members of the committee -- were affixed in the decision taken by the panel.
Venugopal said Bhushan, in one of his tweets on February 1, had said, "I have just confirmed personally from the leader of opposition Mr Kharge that no discussion or decision in HPC meet was taken re-appointment of Nageswara Rao as interim Director of CBI. The govt appears to have misled the court and perhaps submitted fabricated minutes of the HPC meeting."
The attorney general said the statement/confirmation attributed to Kharge could never have been made by him for the simple reason that he himself had signed the minutes of the meeting which also contained the final decisions of the high-powered committee.
"If the minutes of the meeting were to be fabricated, the members of the high powered committee who constituted the majority would have to be parties to such fabrication as their signatures are contained on the very same page on which the decision is recorded in the minutes," the plea had said.
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National Synodal Assembly 2026 begins in Bengaluru with over 220 delegates
Bengaluru: The Conference of Catholic Bishops of India (CCBI) on May 1 inaugurated its National Synodal Assembly 2026 at St. John’s Medical College, bringing together more than 220 delegates from across the country under the theme Synodal Pilgrims of Hope.
The assembly is part of the global synodal process initiated in 2021 by Pope Francis, which calls for greater participation, dialogue and shared responsibility within the Church. In India, the process has involved consultations at diocesan, regional and national levels.
Participants at the assembly include two Cardinals, 25 Bishops, 65 priests, more than 20 women religious, and over 100 lay faithful, including youth and women leaders.
The gathering began with a Eucharistic celebration led by Filipe Neri Ferrão. In his homily, he described the assembly as a moment of grace and discernment and called on delegates to walk together in prayer, listening and missionary commitment.
He spoke about the importance of the Risen Christ in the mission of the Church and urged the faithful to be witnesses of the Gospel. Referring to the conversion of St Paul, he said every baptised person has a role in spreading the message of Christ. He also highlighted the example of St Joseph the Worker, stressing the dignity of labour and the call to holiness in everyday life.
The formal inauguration included the invocation of the Holy Spirit through Veni Creator Spiritus and the lighting of the ceremonial lamp. Deputy Secretary General Fr. Stephen Alathara welcomed the delegates and described the gathering as a spiritual journey.
In his presidential address, Cardinal Ferrão referred to the CCBI pastoral plan titled Journeying Towards a Synodal Church: Mission 2033 and called on participants to build on the vision outlined at the 36th Plenary Assembly held in Bhubaneswar in 2025.
Delegates will reflect on four key themes identified from 16 pastoral priorities: interreligious dialogue and peacebuilding, inclusion of the excluded, poverty and integral ecology, and support for children and youth.
The discussions are being conducted through a method of spiritual conversation aimed at encouraging listening, dialogue and collective decision-making. The focus is on translating these discussions into practical actions within the Church.
The assembly also looks ahead to the Jubilee Year 2033, which will mark 2,000 years of the Redemption, and aims to strengthen the Church’s mission in the coming years.
Further consultations are scheduled for September 2026, with the process expected to conclude at the 38th Plenary Assembly of the CCBI in January 2027.
Organisers said the assembly seeks to strengthen unity within the Church and promote participation of all sections, including women and youth, in shaping its future direction.
