Contempt action sought against Swara Bhasker for Ayodhya verdict remark

Attorney General K K Venugopal's consent was sought on Monday to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Bollywood actress Swara Bhaskar for her alleged "derogatory and scandalous" statements against the Supreme Court on its verdict in the Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid title dispute case of Ayodhya.

The plea has alleged that Bhaskar made these statements at a panel discussion on February 1, 2020 organised by 'Mumbai Collective'.

It claimed that Bhaskar had made "derogatory and scandalous" statements against the courts in the country and mentioned the Ayodhya case judgement.

The consent of either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General is necessary under section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act 1971, for initiating contempt proceedings against a person.

"The petition intends to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against Swara Bhaskar for passing derogatory and scandalous statement in context of the Supreme Court of India on February 1, 2020 at a panel discussion organised by 'Mumbai Collective'," said advocate Mahek Maheshwari, who along with lawyers Anuj Saxena and Prakash Sharma, has filed the plea.

A five-judge constitution bench of the apex court had on November 9 last year delivered a unanimous verdict paving the way for construction of Ram Temple at the disputed site at Ayodhya and had directed the Centre to allot a five-acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque.