‘Open’ to SC to initiate suo motu contempt against Jagan: Attorney General

Attorney General K.K. Venugopal has stated it’s “open” for the Supreme Court to initiate suo motu contempt proceedings against Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Jagan Mohan Reddy for his letter on October 6 to the Chief Justice of India containing allegations against sitting Supreme Court choose Justice N.V. Ramana.

“The very crux of the alleged contempt lies in the contents of the letter written by Y.S. Jagan Mohan Reddy to the Chief Justice of India, and thus it is open to the Supreme Court to take up the matter of contempt suo motu as provided by the Contempt of Courts Act, and the rules made there under,” Mr. Venugopal wrote to Supreme Court advocate Ashwini Kumar Upadhyay on November 7.

Mr. Venugopal was replying to Mr. Upadhyay’s request to re-consider his earlier refusal on November 2 to allow contempt motion against Mr. Reddy and his Prinicipal Adviser Ajeya Kallam for the letter and the act of releasing it in a press convention held on October 10.

Mr. Venugopal stood agency by his resolution to refuse consent. He reiterated that the CJI was already “seized of the matter” and it will be inappropriate on his half to grant consent and “preclude the determination of the Chief Justice of India” within the subject.

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The Attorney General wrote that contempt was a matter between the courtroom and the contemner. No individual might with no consideration insist upon the initiation of contempt proceedings.

However, Mr. Venugopal stated his refusal didn’t cease Mr. Upadhyay from exercising his “right” to take the matter straight to the judges for suo motu motion.

“You may exercise this right by way of information placed on the administrative side or by bringing it to the attention of the court during the hearing of the case where you are already a petitioner-in-person,” Mr. Venugopal wrote.

Mr. Upadhyay is the petitioner-in-person in a case looking for fast disposal of felony instances against legislators throughout the nation. He has alleged that Justice Ramana’s order on September 16 to attempt these instances expeditiously might have prompted Mr. Reddy to write the letter on October 6 and launch it to the press a number of days later. Mr. Venugopal, too, in his earlier reply on November 2, had concurred that the timing of the letter was “suspect”. In this context, the Attorney-General referred to Mr. Upadhyay’s assertion that Mr. Reddy had 31 felony instances against him.

‘Not a private missive’

In this second communication to Mr. Upadhyay on Saturday, Mr. Venugopal nonetheless stated the letter couldn’t be described as a “private missive”.

“Nowhere is the letter marked confidential,” the Attorney General wrote.

Mr. Venugopal stated he had watched the video of the October 10 press convention. Nothing “extra” was added throughout the occasion than what was stated within the letter addressed to the Chief Justice.