| Welcome to the Evening Wrap newsletter, your guide to the day's biggest stories with concise analysis from The Hindu. We hope you are staying safe. SC finds Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt for tweets against CJI A three-judge Bench of the Supreme Court today found noted civil rights lawyer Prashant Bhushan guilty of criminal contempt by 'scandalising the court'. The court found that his tweet on a photograph of Chief Justice of India Sharad A. Bobde astride a bike, and another on the court's role in the past six years 'scandalised' the Supreme Court as an institution. The tweets had the effect of attempting to destabilise Indian democracy. Such malice should be dealt with an iron hand in the larger public interest. The magnanimity of courts should not extend to weakness, the Bench, headed by Justice Arun Mishra, said in a 108-page judgment. It will pronounce the sentence on August 20. Bhushan's defence, that criticism was not contempt, was dismissed by the court. According to the Contempt of Court Act, 1971 punishment could be imprisonment that may extend to six months, or fine of ₹ 2,000, or both. What was the hurry, asks former CJI Lodha Former Chief Justice of India R.M. Lodha questioned why the Supreme Court moved so quickly to hear the case against Bhushan via a virtual court hearing amid a pandemic. "Heavens were not falling," Justice Lodha said in a telephonic interview with The Hindu. "It is really surprising that a matter like this has been taken up during a pandemic and when the court is not having physical hearings. This case could have been taken up as soon as the court resumed physical hearings. This is a little disturbing for me," the former top judge said. Commenting on the judgement, senior advocate Sanjay Hegde said that the court, while exercising the power of contempt, "should also check whether its authority is not further undermined." He added, "The judgment does not provide a cogent narrative as to how the authority of the court was undermined by just two tweets. Public trust and authority of the court rests on firmer foundation than that."
Opposition leaders question Bhushan's conviction Opposition parties questioned the alacrity with which the Supreme Court had convicted senior lawyer Prashant Bhushan for contempt of court while cases against the abrogation of Article 370 of the Constitution and habeas corpus petitions filed for political leaders in Kashmir have been pending for more than a year. CPI-M general secretary Sitaram Yechury in a series of tweets said that the SC's verdict was "alarming". He said that it "brings into the ambit of Contempt, bona-fide criticism of the role played by the Supreme Court as a Constitutional authority. It also brings within its scope, genuine criticism of its present day functioning and approach." "When four Supreme Court judges held a press conference questioning the working of the apex court, was that also contempt? When there were large-scale protests after a Supreme Court judgment diluting the reservation laws, was that contempt?" wondered CPI general secretary D Raja. NCP leader and a senior lawyer Majeed Memon tweeted: "Contempt of Courts Act 1971 is in place to prevent the courts and judges from being scandalised. Supreme Court is supreme because it is the highest and final court, not because it is infallible or does not err." Trinamool Congress MP Mahua Moitra, in a tweet directed at the SC asked, "How are perceived affronts to your power & pelf worthy of such speedy disposal when issues like CAA, 370 & Habeas Corpus petitions perish for months?" Congress wins vote of confidence in Rajasthan With Sachin Pilot in attendance, the Ashok Gehlot-led Congress government on Friday won the confidence vote in the Rajasthan Assembly. The motion of confidence in the Council of Ministers was passed in the Assembly with a voice vote after a three-hour debate.  Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot speaks during the debate on the motion of confidence in the Assembly in Jaipur on August 14, 2020. While replying to the debate, Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said the BJP had played a dubious role during the political crisis. He claimed that Union Home Minister Amit Shah had gone all out to topple the Rajasthan government. "As the conspiracy failed and all the Congress members came together, the BJP is startled," Gehlot added. The motion of confidence was moved by State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Shanti Dhariwal. Initiating the debate on the motion, Dhariwal blamed the Centre for trying to "topple" the governments in Madhya Pradesh, Manipur and Goa using money and power, and said a similar attempt in Rajasthan would not succeed. Nagaland would 'co-exist' with India, but not merge with it: NSCN-IM On the eve of Independence Day, chief of the National Socialist Council of Nagaland-IM (NSCN-IM) Thuingaleng Muivah today said the Centre recognised the sovereignty of the Nagas when it signed the 2015 Framework Agreement and that the Nagas will co-exist but not merge with India. Muivah (86) said they were not asking the Government of India for a Naga national flag and a separate constitution as "recognise them or not, we have our own flag and constitution." He said in a speech that "the Nagas will co-exist with India sharing sovereign powers as agreed in the Framework Agreement and defined in the competencies… But they will not merge with India." The speech, made on the eve of Independence Day, comes at a time when talks between the Centre and the Naga group have hit rough weather, with the latter demanding the removal of interlocutor and Nagaland Governor R.N Ravi. Earlier this week, the NSCN-IM had for the first time released the details of the 2015 Framework Agreement, stating that the Centre had agreed to "share the sovereign power" and to provide for an "enduring inclusive new relationship of peaceful co-existence of the two entities". Travel e-passes for all in TN from August 17: CM In what will come as a big relief to many, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edappadi K Palaniswami has announced that from August 17, e-passes will be approved for anyone who needs it for important purposes. Currently, e-passes can be sought only for purposes such as medical emergencies, deaths and weddings. The lack of inter-district mobility has been a huge impediment to businesses in the state, which have been struggling to bring back workers. The state government has, however, clarified that the relaxation applies only for those seeking e-passes for inter-district travel within Tamil Nadu. For those coming in from other states and countries, existing norms will continue to apply. Covid Watch: Numbers and Developments The number of coronavirus cases reported from India stood at 25,11,788 at the time of publishing this newsletter, with the death toll at 49,001. India on Friday recorded 64,553 new cases.  A health worker wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) collecting a sample using a swab from a person at a local health centre in the old quarters area of Delhi. Twenty-two officials who responded to the plane crash in Kerala last week have tested positive for coronavirus, media reports said. The Air India Express plane had landed with 184 passengers from Dubai under the centre's Vande Bharat Mission. In yet more sobering news from the state, Health Minister KK Shailaja today said that Kerala may report 10,000 to 20,000 coronavirus cases per day between August and September if more people don't join the fight against the pandemic. Singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam critical, under observation at hospital Singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, who was admitted in a hospital after testing positive for Covid-19 last week, is on life support and his condition is said to be 'critical'.  Playback singer S.P. Balasubrahmanyam. MGM Healthcare, where he had been admitted, said in a health bulletin that there had been a major setback in the singer's health condition. "In a late night development on August 13, his condition had deteriorated and based on the advice of the expert medical team attending to him, he has been moved to the ICU. He is on life support and his condition remains critical," the bulletin said. In Brief: President Donald Trump on Thursday gave credence to a false and racist conspiracy theory about Kamala Harris's eligibility to be vice president, fuelling an online misinformation campaign. Asked about it at the White House, Trump told reporters he had "heard" rumours that Harris, a Black woman and U.S.-born citizen whose parents were immigrants, does not meet the requirements to serve in the White House. He added that he considered the rumours "very serious." Over 4,000 people, including diplomats, officials, and media personnel have been invited for the Independence Day ceremony at the Red Fort. The event is being organised keeping in mind Covid-19 protocols, the Defence Ministry said today. It said seating arrangements have been made under the guiding principle of Do Gaz ki Doori (maintaining distance of two yards) between any two guests. Union Home Minister Amit Shah said on Friday that he had tested negative for Covid-19 infection. Shah, who tested positive on August 2, was admitted in Medanta Hospital, Gurugram. "Today my Corona test report has come negative. I thank God and extend my gratitude to all those who wished me well and lent strength to me and my family in these tough times. On the advise of doctors I will stay in home isolation for few days," he tweeted. Evening Wrap will return tomorrow. | 
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