WSN Bureau
NEW DELHI: Ram Jethmalani counsel for the Indira Gandhi assassination case accused Simranjeet Singh Mann here on Saturday urged the Chief Metropolitan Magistrate to prosecute the Prime Minister for contempt of court,
On behalf of Mann, the noted lawyer contended that on the Independence Day this year, the Prime Minister, Rajiv Gandhi, had said, “one who was defending the killers of Indira Gandhi and is a traitor has managed to reach Parliament.
This was intended to be a reference to him, Jethmalani said, and since lawyers were “officers” of the court, the Prime Minister had called the court a “traitor”. He should therefore be booked for contempt of court, Jethmalani said.
However, the magistrate S.L. Khanna, rejected his application to this effect, which the counsel had filed later, saying that he had already referred the case to the sessions court and this fresh petition could be entertained by only the appropriate court.
Jethmalani in one submission said this act of the Prime Minister was a gross contempt clearly calculated to prejudice and interfere with the present judicial proceedings and obstruct administration of justice in general.”
Jethamalani’s associates said they would file the application before the district and sessions
judge when the case comes up for hearing on September 2. They will also seek the court’s direction to refer the matter to the High Court.
Jethmalani also prayed in the application that notice be issued to the Prime Minister “not so much to punish him” as to “enlighten him and prevent repetition of the unfortunate utterances.”
NEW DELHI: Syed Shahabuddin MP President of the newly formed Insaf party, nominated Maulana Abdul Jaleel Choudhury, ex MLA from Assam, as a member of the National Executive, and Dr. Basir Ahmed Khan and Mr. Akhtra Hussain Akhtar as General Secretaries and Mr. S.M. Anwar Hussain as Joint Secretary of the party.
Article extracted from this publication >> September 8, 1989
