CJI Chandrachud Recuses Himself from Hearing Contempt Case Against Kunal Kamra

The Chief Justice of India DY Chandrachud on Thursday recused himself from hearing the contempt of court proceedings against comedian Kunal Kamra for tweets ‘critiquing the judiciary’.

“We will place this matter before a bench to which I (CJI) am not a part because the comments (tweets) were made on the order, which I have passed, CJI Said. Now the matter will be listed after two weeks before another bench.

The Supreme court was hearing contempt petition against Kamra before the top court for his remarks against the apex court and its judges.

One of the case is for his tweets criticising the CJI Chandrachud after an order was passed by the apex court in November 2020 where bail was granted to Republic TV Editor-in-Chief Arnab Goswami.

On January 29, 2021, Kamra had filed an affidavit in the apex court and defended his tweets against the judiciary, saying India would be reduced to a “country of incarcerated artists and flourishing lapdogs” if powerful people and institutions show an inability to “tolerate rebuke or criticism”.

Kamra had refused to apologies for his tweets criticizing the Supreme Court, commenting in a statement that “silence of the Supreme Court on matters of other’s personal liberty cannot go uncriticized.”