Contempt plea against Justice Katju: Attorney General Venugopal recuses himself

Tribune News Service
New Delhi, March 30

Attorney General KK Venugopal has recused himself from dealing with an application for grant of sanction to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju for his alleged remarks against the top court in his deposition before a UK court in Nirav Modi extradition case.

“I have to point out that I have known Justice Katju for the last about 16 years and we have been interacting with each other ever since. In this background it is not appropriate that I deal with the matter,” Venugopal wrote to advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava who wanted the AG’s consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against the former SC judge.

Citing Section 15(3) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, Venugopal said it empowered either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General to grant consent for initiating criminal contempt proceedings, if deemed fit.

Srivastava had on March 1 sought his consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against Justice Katju, citing the UK court’s verdict of February 25 while rejecting the plea of fugitive economic offender Nirav Modi against his extradition to India.

The UK court has recorded the alleged “contemptuous” remarks made by Justice Katju by way of evidence in favour of Nirav Modi, Srivastava pointed out.

Nirav Modi is wanted in India on charges of fraud and money laundering in the estimated USD 2-billion Punjab National Bank scam case.

On February 25, the Westminster Magistrates’ Court in London accepted the contention of the Indian government to extradite Nirav Modi saying that the evidence against him “is prima facie sufficient to order his extradition to India to face the charges”.

It rejected Nirav Modi’s submissions regarding human rights violations, fair trial and prison conditions and decided to send his case to the Secretary of the State, UK for a final decision.