Supreme Court asks Sanjay Raut to appear in person on Nov 17 in contempt case; Wagle gets virtual exemption

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has directed Shiv Sena (Uddhav Balasaheb Thackeray) Rajya Sabha MP Sanjay Raut to appear in person before it on November 17 in a contempt case. Journalist Nikhil Wagle has been permitted to join the next hearing virtually. The directions were issued in a criminal contempt case filed by the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA).

During the hearing, senior advocate Indira Jaising argued on behalf of Wagle. She said Wagle had deleted the social media post in question and had also tendered an unconditional apology through an affidavit. According to Jaising, Wagle deleted the post as soon as he could after receiving the court's notice. She also told the court that Wagle had not tried to justify what he had done.

Jaising also said Wagle has been in journalism for about five decades. His counsel argued that he is not affiliated with any political party and has received several awards in journalism. Jaising said Wagle had offered an unconditional apology at the first opportunity.

SCBA president Pradeep Rai, on the other side, objected to the language of the social media post. He told the court that uncivil language had been used in the post. Rai also claimed that the post had not been removed until the notice was received.

The social media post was also placed before the court during the hearing. Advocate Rahul Kaushik also made submissions in the matter. He said such language and attitude towards the country's highest court should be taken seriously.

The next hearing in the case will be on November 17. Raut will have to be present in court in person that day, while Wagle has been allowed to appear virtually.