SC quashes 6-month term for ex-DGP in contempt case

The Supreme Court has quashed the six-month imprisonment imposed on former West Bengal DGP Anup Bhushan Vohra,Jalpaiguri district magistrate R. Ranjit and 16 others by the Calcutta High Court for criminal contempt of court in March 2007.

The Supreme Court has quashed the six-month imprisonment imposed on former West Bengal DGP Anup Bhushan Vohra,Jalpaiguri district magistrate R. Ranjit and 16 others by the Calcutta High Court for criminal contempt of court in March 2007.

A bench of justices P Sathasivam and B S Chauhan,while holding that the charges were not proved against the contemnors,said the high court had also erred in not accepting the unconditional apology tendered by them during the contempt proceedings.

The apex court said it was the duty of courts to accept sincere and unconditional apology tendered by alleged contemnors if the same was done within a reasonable period from the time of the initiation of proceedings.

The high court had convicted the officials for contempt on the ground that they failed to take action against 14 civil society activists and advocates for staging a month-long boycott of the district court at Jalpaiguri in support of their demand for a circuit bench of the high court at the district.

The administration of justice should never be stalled at the instance of anyone,including the members of the bar,even for any cause, the apex court said.

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