Supreme Court relief for Gujarat lawyer in contempt case

NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court exonerated Ahmedabad-based senior advocate and politician Yatin Narendra Oza from contempt charges after he tendered an unconditional apology for questioning the credentials of two judges of the Gujarat high court.
A bench of Justices Dipak Misra and C Nagappan let off Oza with a warning and directed him to desist from making such remarks against judges.
It, however, made it clear to Oza that he would face contempt if he raked up the issue again by making public statements. The HC had initiated contempt proceedings against Oza for alleging that “two HC judges show allegiance to 7, RCR and 11, Akbar Road and not to the Constitution”. The first is the official residence of the prime minister and the second of the BJP chief.
Oza, a former president of the Gujarat HC Bar Association, had started his political career in Congress. He later joined BJP and was elected twice as MLA from Sabarmati in Ahmedabad but then parted ways with the party and joined the Aam Aadmi Party.
Senior advocates Kapil Sibal and Abhishek Manu Singhvi, appearing for Oza, urged the court to bring the controversy to an end by accepting the apology.