Swara Bhasker In Contempt? Attorney General KK Venugopal Refuses To Prosecute Actress

Attorney General KK Venugopal declined a request to initiate contempt of court proceedings against actor Swara Bhasker. This concerns an alleged defamatory statement made by her during a demonstration in February, 2020. The A-G, while turning down the request to initiate legal action, said her statements did not amount to an attack on the institution of judiciary. The plea seeking contempt proceedings against Bhaskar was filed by advocate Anuj Saxena. He claimed that her remarks were lowering the dignity of the judiciary and warrant action under Section 15 of Contempt of Courts Act 1971. Venugopal, while writing back to Saxena in a letter dated August 21, suggested that the statements of Bhasker were generic and not aimed particularly at any of the courts. Swara Bhasker had, in an event titled ‘artists against communalism’ in Mumbai made the alleged ‘objectionable remarks’ in reference to the Ram Mandir-Babri Masjid case. She questioned whether the land was granted to the same group which was involved in the demolition of the mosque. While the statement on Babri Masjid case was termed as ‘perception of the speaker’ by the A-G, the second one does not warrant contempt proceedings, he added.