India's top court lets off lawyer who criticized judiciary
Legal Issues
In a surprise ruling Monday, India’s top court ordered a prominent lawyer only to pay a fine of 1 rupee (less than 2 cents) after his conviction in a highly watched criminal contempt case sparked a debate on freedom of speech in the world’s largest democracy and the independence of its judiciary.
Prashant Bhushan, 63, was found guilty in August of criminal contempt for posting two tweets in which he criticized the Supreme Court's chief justice and said the courts had played a role in “how democracy has been destroyed in India” since Prime Minister Narendra Modi took office in 2014.
Bhushan could have faced a jail term of six months. The judges said if he fails to pay the 1 rupee fine by Sept. 15, he'll be jailed for three months and debarred from practicing law for three years.
Bhushan agreed to pay the fine but said he will pursue the course of legal review against his conviction order. "The case has inspired several citizens to raise their voice against injustice," he told reporters.
In June, Bhushan tweeted a photograph of the chief justice posing on a Harley-Davidson motorcycle without a face mask or a helmet and accused him of “denying citizens their fundamental right to access justice” while the court’s work was curtailed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The motorcycle belonged to the son of a local leader from Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party in the central city of Nagpur.
During the hearing in early August, the court said Bhushan's tweets threatened “to shake the confidence of the public” and chided him for a “calculated attack on the very foundation of the institution of the judiciary.”
Before handing down the verdict, he was given a chance by the court to apologize, but he defended himself by saying the right to free speech included the right to criticize members of the judiciary.
“I do not ask for mercy,” Bhushan told the court in his response on Aug. 20. He said the tweets ? since taken down by Twitter ? represented his “bona fide beliefs.”
The Supreme Court said last week that Bhushan’s response was “even more derogatory” than the tweets themselves.
Related listings
-
Arizona landlords ask high court to invalidate eviction ban
Legal Issues 08/10/2020Landlord advocacy groups filed a special action with the Arizona State Supreme Court Wednesday seeking to invalidate as unconstitutional Gov. Doug Ducey's moratorium on evictions of people who have missed rent payments because they became ill or lost...
-
4 tribes sue over Oklahoma gambling compacts with 2 others
Legal Issues 08/01/2020Four Oklahoma tribes are asking a federal court to void gambling compacts between the state of Oklahoma and two other tribes ? agreements that the Oklahoma State Supreme Court recently invalidated.The Cherokee, Chickasaw, Choctaw and Citizen Potawato...
-
UConn student fugitive in court on murder charge, police say
Legal Issues 06/10/2020A University of Connecticut student, who police say used a machete to kill a man, fatally shot a high school acquaintance, and then spent six days as a fugitive, will be arraigned Friday on murder and other charges, authorities said.Peter Manfr...
Illinois Work Injury Lawyers – Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD.
Accidents in the workplace are often caused by unsafe work conditions arising from ignoring safety rules, overlooking maintenance or other negligence of those in management. While we are one of the largest firms in Illinois dedicated solely to the representation of injured workers, we pride ourselves on the personal, one-on-one approach we deliver to each client.
Work accidents can cause serious injuries and sometimes permanent damage. Some extremely serious work injuries can permanently hinder a person’s ability to get around and continue their daily duties. Factors that affect one’s quality of life such as place of work, relationships with friends and family, and social standing can all be taken away quickly by a work injury. Although, you may not be able to recover all of your losses, you may be entitled to compensation as a result of your work injury. Krol, Bongiorno & Given, LTD. provides informed advocacy in all kinds of workers’ compensation claims, including:
• Injuries to the back and neck, including severe spinal cord injuries
• Serious head injuries
• Heart problems resulting from workplace activities
• Injuries to the knees, elbows, shoulders and other joints
• Injuries caused by repetitive movements
For Illinois Workers’ Compensation claims, you will ALWAYS cheat yourself if you do not hire an experienced attorney. When you hire Krol, Bongiorno & Given, Ltd, you will have someone to guide you through the process, and when it is time to settle, we will add value to your case IN EXCESS of our fee. In the last few years, employers and insurance carriers have sought to advance the argument that when you settle a case without an attorney, your already low settlement should be further reduced by 20% so that you do not get a “windfall.” Representing yourself in Illinois is a lose-lose proposition.