BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's comments against the Supreme Court and the Chief Justice of India were "highly irresponsible", lowers the authority of the court and tends to interfere with the judicial proceedings pending before it, the top court said today. The judges, though, turned down a petition seeking action against him, saying "courts are not as fragile as flowers to wither and wilt under such ludicrous statements".
During an interview last month, Mr Dubey had sparked a huge controversy with his negative comments about the country's top court and its highest judge. "Chief Justice of India Sanjeev Khanna is responsible for all the civil wars happening in India," he said. "To provoke a religious war in this country, only and only the Supreme Court is responsible," he had also said.
"His comments reflect a penchant to attract attention by casting aspersions on the Supreme Court of India and the judges of the Supreme Court," said Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna.
This apart, his statement shows ignorance about the role of the constitutional courts and the duties and obligations bestowed on them under the Constitution, the judges said.
"We do not believe that the confidence in and credibility of the courts in the eyes of the public can be shaken by such absurd statements, though it can be said without the shadow of doubt that there is a desire and deliberate attempt to do so... We, therefore, refrain from taking any action," the court said.
The judges, however, came down heavily on hate speech in general.
*While we are not entertaining the present writ petition, we make it clear that any attempt to spread communal hatred or indulge in hate speech must be dealt with an iron hand," the court said.
"Hate speech cannot be tolerated as it leads to loss of dignity and self-worth of the targeted group members, contributes to disharmony among groups, and erodes tolerance and open-mindedness, which is a must for a multi-cultural society committed to the idea of equality. Any attempt to cause alienation or humiliation of the targeted group is a criminal offence and must be dealt with accordingly," the judges added.
