SC Stays Meghalaya HC’s Contempt Order Against Shillong Times

The Supreme Court has stayed Meghalaya High Court’s contempt order against The Shillong Times editor Patricia Mukhim and publisher Shobha Chaudhuri for publishing articles on the perks and facilities for retired judges and their families on Friday, 15 March, reported ANI.

The Meghalaya High Court on 8 March had held Mukhim and Chaudhuri guilty of contempt of court, and imposed a fine of Rs 2 lakh each.

The court also ruled that in case of non-payment of penalty in a week, the two would be imprisoned for six months and the paper would be “banned”.

“In exercise of the power vested on us by Article 215 of the Constitution of India, we sentence both the contemners to sit in the corner of the courtroom till the rising of the court and impose a fine of Rs 2 lakh each which is to be deposited with the Registry within a week and then to be deposited in the welfare fund of this High Court.”

Meghalaya High Court, as quoted by The Indian Express

Better Facilities for Retired Judges

The contempt order is in connection with two reports published in The Shillong Times on 6 and 10 December last year, about a court order seeking better facilities for retired judges and their families, according to The Indian Express.

One of the articles titled, ‘When judges judge for themselves’, had drawn parallels between the order by Justice SR Sen and an order passed by two former judges of the High Court in 2016, reported Scroll.

According to the report, Sen wanted several provisions for retired chief justices and judges, and their family, who incidentally retired at the time of the order.

“Besides providing medical facilities for the spouses and children, the order stressed the need for providing protocol, guest houses, domestic help, mobile/internet charge at the rate of Rs 10,000 and mobile for Rs 80,000 for judges,” the report said.

According to The Indian Express, the court order also referred to multiple social media posts by Mukhim regarding the ongoing case. The order said, “…it also appears from the rejoinder affidavit filed by the learned Amicus Curiae that the contemner, Patricia Mukhim, took the help of social media and (had) even gone to the extent of mocking the judicial system of this country.”

Mukhim reacted by posting on Facebook, “We are told that the press is the fourth estate to keep the legislature, executive and judiciary in check. We are also exhorted by the most enlightened souls that the purpose of journalism is to afflict those in comfort zones and to comfort the afflicted and the voiceless. If the mighty are offended with us, we must be doing something right in our journalism and not propaganda,” reported The Hindu.

(With inputs from ANI, The Indian Express, The Hindu and Scroll.in)