‘Contempt of court’: SC irked by Maneka Gandhi’s criticism of its order in stray dog case
A bench comprising justices Vikram Nath, Sandeep Mehta and NV Anjaria said the former minister made “all kinds of comments” against everyone without any thought.
Questioning senior advocate Raju Ramachandran, who appeared on behalf of Gandhi, the bench said: “You said that the court should be cautious in its words, but have you asked your client what kind of words he said? Have you listened to his podcast? He used all kinds of expressions against everyone without even thinking. Have you seen his body language?”
The bench said it did not initiate contempt proceedings against the former Union minister due to the generosity of the court.
Justice Mehta asked Ramachandran how Maneka Gandhi, as a former Union minister, had ensured budget allocation to eliminate the stray dog problem.
Ramachandran said that he even appeared on behalf of terrorist Ajmal Kasab and that budget allocation was a matter of policy.
“Ajmal Kasab did not contempt the court but your client did,” Justice Nath said. The court said his statement about making dog feeders accountable was not made sarcastically but on a serious note, although it was during a dialogue while hearing the matter.
The hearing of the case continues.
On January 13, the Supreme Court announced that it would ask states to pay “heavy compensation” for dog bite cases and would hold dog owners responsible for such cases.
The court also flagged concerns over non-implementation of norms regarding stray animals in the last five years.
