Supreme Court Bar Association files criminal contempt plea against Sanjay Raut and Nikhil Wagle

The Supreme Court Bar Association has filed a criminal contempt petition before the Supreme Court against Shiv Sena (UBT) lawmaker Sanjay Raut and journalist Nikhil Wagle, acting after Attorney General R Venkataramani gave formal consent to prosecute them for derogatory public remarks aimed at Chief Justice of India Surya Kant.

The bar body moved the court under Article 129 of the Constitution and Section 15 of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, through its president, senior advocate Pradeep Kumar Rai. It maintained that deliberate attempts to malign the judiciary and the office of the Chief Justice damage public trust and strike at institutional stability.

Why the row broke out

The dispute began after Chief Justice Surya Kant turned down an in-person meeting sought by an Opposition delegation, including Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi and Rajya Sabha Leader of the Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge. The delegation had sought an appointment ahead of a planned march over protests in Delhi and matters involving the Election Commission. The Chief Justice declined the meeting, citing the separation of powers and the fact that the underlying issues remained sub judice, advising the leaders to approach the bench formally through a petition instead.

Following the decision, Wagle published an abusive message on social media platform X on 11 October directed at the Chief Justice. He later deleted the post and tendered an unconditional apology, stating the message had been an emotional outburst and asking the authorities to drop the issue.

Raut followed on 12 October with statements carried by news agency IANS on X, claiming judges attended political programmes organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party and alleging that chief ministers hosted dinners for high court and Supreme Court judges. He also referred to pictures circulating online that purportedly showed judges playing badminton in London with political leaders.

Attorney General's consent

Under statutory rules, initiating private criminal contempt proceedings requires clearance from the law officer. Attorney General R Venkataramani granted consent on 15 October, stating that the public posts were "prima facie scandalous, intended to lower the esteem of the Supreme Court of India and particularly the Chief Justice of India."

Venkataramani pointed out that Raut's claims ignored factual reality. A Delhi High Court ruling from 19 June 2026, delivered in a petition brought by the Badminton Association of India, had already established that the photographs in question were taken at the Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi in November 2025, not in London. The high court had ordered the content removed well before Raut repeated the claims.

"It is important that the Hon'ble Member of Parliament should have verified the facts before making such scandalous allegations," the Attorney General wrote.

Next steps before the court

In its petition, the bar association argued that protecting judicial dignity is necessary to sustain the rule of law. While making clear that it does not oppose fair criticism of rulings, the association argued the public comments crossed that boundary by making baseless allegations against the head of the judiciary.

The association has also asked the court for interim directions requiring X Corp, Meta, Google, and IANS to preserve relevant records and videos, along with an order restraining Wagle and Raut from making similar statements while the contempt plea is heard.