Telangana HC judge accepts apology in suo-motu contempt case

Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of the Telangana High Court accepted apologies from N. Peddi Raju and two advocates in a suo-motu contempt case initiated by the Supreme Court. The judge directed them to place the matter before the apex court, disposing it at her end

Hyderabad: Justice Moushumi Bhattacharya of the Telangana High Court accepted apologies tendered by a litigant and two advocates in a suo-motu contempt matter. The judge took on record the affidavits filed by the three contemnors and formally accepted their apologies.

The apology was rendered following directions from the Supreme Court, which had initiated a suo-motu contempt case while dealing with a transfer petition filed by N. Peddi Raju. Peddi Raju had sought to transfer a case filed by Telangana Chief Minister A. Revanth Reddy to another High Court. Reddy had filed the case seeking to quash a criminal complaint lodged against him by Peddi Raju under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. The court had discharged Revanth Reddy of the alleged offences.

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Justice Bhattacharya, after hearing Reddy’s petition in detail, had reserved the matter for orders. Peddi Raju then approached the Supreme Court seeking transfer of the case. The Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Bhushan R. Gavai, found the remarks made against Justice Bhattacharya in the transfer petition to be “scurrilous and scandalous,” prompting the suo-motu contempt proceedings. The apex court directed the contemnors to tender an unconditional apology to Justice Bhattacharya.

On Friday, Justice Bhattacharya accepted the apology and directed the contemnors to place the suo-motu contempt matter before the Supreme Court. The judge noted that “the case is disposed of at my end.”