Contempt Plea Against Markandey Katju: Attorney General Recuses Himself

KK Venugopal pointed out that section 15 (3) empowers either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General of India to grant consent for initiating criminal contempt proceedings if deemed fit.

Attorney General KK Venugopal on Tuesday recused himself from dealing with a plea for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against former Supreme Court judge Justice Markandey Katju for his remarks against the top court while deposing before a court in United Kingdom in Nirav Modi extradition case. KK Venugopal, in his reply to the petitioner advocate Alakh Alok Srivastava, said, "I have to point out that I have known Justice Katju for the last about 16 years and we have been interacting with each other ever since. In this background it is not appropriate that I deal with the matter." He pointed out that section 15 (3) empowers either the Attorney General or the Solicitor General of India to grant consent for initiating criminal contempt proceedings if deemed fit. "If so advised, you may file your application for consent before the Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta," KK Venugopal told Srivastava in his one page letter.