The Supreme Court on Friday took umbrage at a litigant calling a judge of the court a "terrorist" and directed the registry to issue him a show cause notice as to why he should not be prosecuted for criminal contempt for "scandalising" the judge.
"You have to be sent inside the jail for a few months then you will realise," a bench of Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and Justice Hima Kohli told the man while terming the allegations made by him "scandalous".
"You cannot just make any allegations against a judge of the Supreme Court," the bench said, chastising the man.
The Supreme Court was hearing an application filed by the man seeking early hearing in a pending service matter.
An advocate, appearing for the petitioner, told the bench after seeing the file he had asked the litigant to apologise unconditionally.
The counsel said he will represent him only if the man gives an unconditional apology.
"I tender my apology," the man said, adding he was going through "tremendous mental trauma" when he had filed the application.
"This is scandalous," the bench said. "We will issue a notice to show cause to you why you should not be prosecuted for criminal contempt," it said.
"What does the judge have to do with this proceeding? You are calling him a terrorist and other things. Is this the way to make allegations against a judge?" the bench said, asking, "Only because he happens to belong to your state?" "Shocking!" it said.
"We are not inclined to entertain the application for early hearing. The application shall stand dismissed," the bench said.
It said the registry shall issue a show cause notice to the petitioner as to why he should not be prosecuted for criminal contempt for scandalising a judge of this court, and listed the matter for hearing after three weeks.
The bench recorded that the petitioner has given an unconditional apology.
The bench said in order to enable the court to assess whether the apology is genuine or otherwise, it is granting three weeks to the man to file an affidavit explaining his conduct.
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