SC refuses to release lawyer sentenced to jail for contempt of court on interim bail

New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday refused to release on interim bail a lawyer sentenced to six months in jail by the Delhi High Court for committing contempt of court.

“You see the judgment (of the High Court). He refused to apologise,” a bench presided over by Chief Justice of India D.Y. Chandrachud told senior advocate Vibha Datta Makhija.

Makhija, appearing for the lawyer lodged in Delhi’s Tihar Jail, submitted that the contemnor is now willing to tender unconditional apologies.

Thereafter, the bench, also comprising Justices J.B. Pardiwala and Manoj Misra, ordered that police authorities will produce the petitioner before the trial court and the High Court by 2 p.m. on January 16 for tendering unconditional apologies.

The matter will be taken up by the Supreme Court for further hearing at 3 p.m. on January 16.

In its order, the apex court noted that the lawyer was given an opportunity to apologise for the "contemptuous allegations" by the high court, but he stood by his accusations.

On Tuesday, a division bench of Justices Suresh Kumar Kait and Shailender Kaur found the contemnor Virender Singh guilty of making contumacious allegations and scandalous imputations against judges of the High Court and District Courts and imposed the six-month jail term with a fine of Rs. 2,000.

The contempt proceedings were initiated after the lawyer made allegations against trial court and high court judges in a criminal appeal filed on behalf of a rape survivor.