Former Supreme Court justice Markandey Katju apologised to the apex court on Friday for writing a Facebook post in which he had criticised SC judges in a case of rape and murder of a Kochi woman.
In a two-page application, Justice Katju requested the court to drop contempt case he is facing for his remarks.
Justice Katju added in his letter that he respected the judicial process and that he has deleted his Facebook post where he had criticised the SC ruling.
“I am ready to read out the apology before the open court,” Justice Katju’s application said.
Justice Katju also requested the Supreme Court to hear his plea for quashing contempt proceedings before the winter break.
The Supreme Court will close for winter vacations on December 16 and reopen on January 3.
The bench, headed by Justice J Ranjan Gogoi, said that it will consider an early hearing of the application.
The Supreme Court had slapped a contempt notice on Justice Katju on November 11 for the personal remarks he had made against the judges who had pronounced the ruling in the Kochi rape and murder case.
Justice Katju had criticised the Supreme Court ruling in which it had commuted the death sentence awarded to Govindachamy, who was convicted in the case, and sentenced him to seven years in prison.
The Supreme Court had dropped the murder charges against Govindachamy but held him guilty of the rape of the 24-year-old woman in February 2011.
On November 11, the Supreme Court had slapped a contempt notice on Justice Katju for the personal remarks he had made against the judges who had pronounced the ruling in the Kochi rape and murder case.
The Supreme Court, on September 15, had commuted the death sentence awarded to Govindachamy, who was convicted in the case, and sentenced him to seven years in prison. The top court had dropped the murder charges against the convict but had held him guilty of the rape of the 24-year-old woman in February 2011.
In his Facebook post, Justice Katju had said that the judgement was laden with fundamental flaws.
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