As Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi and Union Shipping Minister T R Baalu failed to respond to a contempt notice issued to them four months ago, the Supreme Court on Monday slammed them for seeking an adjournment again. Infuriated by their attempts to circumvent court orders by repeatedly seeking time, a bench of justices B N Agarwal and G S Singhvi asked: “Do you think you are super supreme? Do the Chief Minister and the minister think they are above the law?”“If this is your attitude, then let the Chief Minister and others appear. We will issue warrants of arrest. This is detestable,” observed the bench, taking an exception to the request for seeking more time by the counsel for Karunanidhi, Baalu and other contemnors. The contempt notices were issued on a plea by AIADMK leader J Jayalalithaa, who had alleged wilful disobedience of court orders by top officials of the state, including the CM and chief secretary. The court on October 1, 2007, had issued notices, asking them why action should not be taken against them for having proceeded with a bandh in the name of speedy implementation of Sethusamudram Project, despite the court staying it. Holding it violative of constitutional provisions, Jayalalithaa on September 30, a day before the bandh, approached the court seeking to restrain ruling Democratic Progressive Alliance in Tamil Nadu from going ahead with their call for “hartal”.The court lamented that while the contemnors requested for grant of four weeks on March 31 this year, their responses had not been filed “despite lapse of over four months”. Chief Secretary L K Tripathy and DGP P Rajendran managed to escape the court’s fury. But their replies were filed only last week, pointed out AIADMK counsel Gurukrishna Kumar.Baalu failed to file his response. Karunanidhi’s counsel said that the CM intended to “adopt” the affidavit filed by the state Chief Secretary on the issue. The Bench granted four weeks as “last chance” to all the contemnors.
