NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Oct.24 sentenced the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Kalyan Singh to a ‘symbolic’ one day imprisonment and a fine of Rs 2000, for committing contempt of court in “flagrant breach of an undertaking’ that no construction would be allowed at the disputed area in Ayodhya in 1992.
Delivering the significant judgment in a packed court room, the Division Bench of Chief Justice M.N, Venkatachalaiah and Justice G.N. Ray observed. “Since the contempt raised large issues which affected the very foundations of secular fabric of the nation, we sentence him to pay fine of Rs 2,000 and one day symbolic imprisonment.” While the imprisonment sentence has to be effected by the concerned authorities, the fine would have to be paid within two months.
The contempt was in relation to an undertaking given by the then chief minister to the National Integration Council and later incorporated in the court order to the effect that the state government would not permit any Structure, both permanent and tem porary, to come up at the disputed site.
Article extracted from this publication >> October 28, 1994
