The Supreme Court, as per an ANI update, has stayed the Meghalaya High Court’s contempt order against The Shillong Times editor Patricia Mukhim and publisher Shobha Chaudhuri for publishing an article on the perks and facilities for retired judges and their families.
Supreme Court stays 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.
— ANI (@ANI) March 15, 2019
Earlier this month, the Meghalaya High Court had sentenced Mukhim and Chaudhuri to sit in the corner of the courtroom till the rising of the court besides imposing a fine of Rs two lakh each in a contempt case. The contempt order was issued by a judge who had taken offence to an article published by the paper on the perks and facilities for retired judges and their families.
A division bench headed by Chief Justice Mohammad Yaqoob Mir had warned that if the two persons failed to deposit the amount they will have to undergo six months simple imprisonment and the paper will be banned.
“In exercise of the power vested on us by Article 215 of the Constitution of India, we sentence both the contemnors to sit in the corner of the courtroom till the rising of the court and impose a fine of Rs two 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,” the bench had said.
Mukhim and Chaudhuri were show-caused as to why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against the newspaper for publishing the article.
In his show cause notice, Justice Sen had said that the media is not to dictate what the court should do.
“It is really shocking that the publisher and editor of the said newspaper without knowing the law or background of the case are making comments which are definitely derogatory to a judge who is handling the case as well as the entire fraternity of the judges,” Justice Sen had said.
The Editors Guild of India had dubbed the Meghalaya High Court’s order “intimidatory”, adding that it undermined press freedom. Their statement said, “It is ironical that the judiciary which should uphold press freedom has instead issued an order that militates against freedom of expression.”