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An application has been filed before the Attorney General for India, Mr. K.K. Venugopal on 28^th June seeking consent to initiate Criminal Contempt against Mr. Ajeet Bharti, co-founder of the digital newsroom DO Politics, for his YouTube video dated 24-06-2021 alleging the video is derogatory and crass abusing the Supreme court of India and its Hon’ble Justices in specific.

Kritika Singh, a law graduate from Dr. Ram Manohar Lohiya National Law University, Lucknow wrote the letter to the Attorney General (AG) for granting the consent under Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971 read with Rule 3 (c) of the Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the Supreme Court, 1975 to initiate Criminal Contempt against Mr. Ajeet Bharti.

The application states that a video titled ‘Ajeet Bharti Roasts Supreme Court, High Courts’ which was uploaded on Mr. Ajeet Bharti’s YouTube channel DO Politics on 24-06-21, is not only in bad taste but also clearly crosses the line between constructive criticism and contempt of court.

It is alleged in the application that in the said video Mr. Ajeet Bharti abused the Hon’ble Supreme Court using extremely crass and obscene language and tried to disgrace it on the lines of rampant corruption, nepotism, being sold and directing protests and riots throughout the country about various issues. It further adds that he also used derogatory slangs while describing what is in his view a biased and religiously intolerant judiciary.

The applicant states in the letter that all this not only misleads the common masse, but it also lowers the image of the Hon’ble courts and its officers, including the Hon’ble judges thereof.

The applicant mentions that the AG has previously taken cognizance of a similar matter before and given his consent to initiate proceedings for criminal contempt, most recently in the case against Mr. Kunal Kamra, a comedian.

In a detailed list of 25 points the applicant has annexed approximate translation of the defamatory statements made in the video. According to it, in the video Mr. Ajeet Bharti used very abusive, derogatory and disgusting language for Indian Judiciary and its judges. He has accused Indian Judiciary of biasness and discrimination. He says in the video that the common man has faith in the judiciary purely out of helplessness because they have nowhere else to go.

The applicant has requested the grant of consent to initiate criminal contempt stating,

“The foundation of justice delivery system has always been so strong that it never allowed anyone to obstruct the way towards equal justice by publicly using abusive language against the Hon’ble Courts and its Hon’ble Judges. As a responsible citizen of this country and a student of law, I would be failing in my duty if I turned a blind eye to this grave attack on the integrity of my Hon’ble Supreme court and its Hon’ble judges.”