Background

India’s courts have routinely invoked its contempt powers to often punish expressions of dissent on purported grounds of such speech undermining or scandalizing the judiciary’s authority.

♤ In a first, the Supreme Court started contempt proceedings against Justice C S Karnan, a sitting judge of the Calcutta High Court.

♤ Recently, the Supreme Court issued the suo motu contempt notice to civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan against him on his tweets against the CJI.