The Supreme Court on Tuesday agreed to examine a petition from advocate Prashant Bhushan, bringing to its notice a sting operation conducted by two television channels against certain lawyers justifying their assault of JNU student leader Kanhaiya Kumar.
A bench of Justices J. Chelameswar and A.M. Sapre asked Mr Bhushan to file a proper petition when he mentioned the sting operation and sought action against the lawyers concerned, who had revealed that they had beaten up Mr Kumar for three hours in police custody in the presence of the police.
When Justice Chelameswar wanted to know whether any police complaint had been registered in this regard or on the alleged custodial violence against Mr Kumar, Mr Bhushan said no such complaint has been filed so far.
He submitted something more serious has happened. Aaj Tak TV and India TV conducted sting operations of three lawyers who had beaten up Mr Kumar and indulged in violence on February 15 and 17 at the Patiala courts.
In the sting operation, the lawyers are shown saying that they beat up Mr Kumar for three hours in police custody and the police did not intervene. Mr Bhushan said in the sting operation, the police on duty also stated that if they had not been in uniform at that time, even they would have beaten up Mr Kumar. He said, “Lawyers are seen boasting and bragging about their actions. Time has come for this court to take suo motu action of contempt proceedings against the three lawyers.”
“Is it the case of Kanhaiya also that he was beaten up, assuming so that he was beaten up in police lock up. People may brag,” Justice Chelameswar observed. “File an application we will consider it on merits.”
Meanwhile, the bench directed that the face of the registrar-general of the Delhi high court should be “masked” before the video clippings as recorded by the six-member panel appointed by the apex court was released to the media.
The bench gave this direction on a submission from senior counsel Siddharth Luthra, appearing for the registrar-general that his face should not be shown in the media as he was in the Patiala court on February 17 pursuant to the directions of the apex court. The video clipping was part of a report submitted by the panel in which they recorded some of the violent scenes witnessed at the courts.
