Attorney General declines consent for criminal contempt proceedings against AIMIM president

Attorney General K K Venugopal declined to give his consent for initiation of criminal contempt proceedings against AIMIM president Asaduddin Owaisi. A think tank had sought out the AG's consent to act against Mr Owaisi for his remarks about Mahatma Gandhi's murder.

Mr Owaisi said that an inquiry commission had observed VD Savarkar was complicit in Mahatma Gandhi's murder. Mr Venugopal said that it is true that the judgment of the top court also notes the fact that VD Savarkar has been found not guilty of Gandhiji's murder in the criminal trial, reported NDTV.

The AG added that it is clear upon reading the entire judgement that the court was disinclined to go into the findings of the Justice Kapoor Commission of Inquiry.

He noted that Justice Kapoor retired as a judge of the Supreme Court in 1962 and was appointed to the Commission of Inquiry in 1962. It will be wrong to say that a sitting judge of the SC had held that Savarkar was complicit in the murder of Mahatma Gandhi. "It would therefore be difficult to hold that he (Mr Owaisi) has committed contempt of the Supreme Court."

The think tank said that it was expected that Mr Owaisi would issue a clarification and set the record straight after a letter was written to him. But he did not acknowledge the letter.

Mr Owaisi had recently alleged that installing Savarkar's portrait in the parliament sends out a message that Mahatma Gandhi is going to be replaced as the Father of the Nation.