Contempt proceedings: Digvijaya says he will present his side before Supreme Court
Bhopal: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Digvijaya Singh on Saturday said that he was prepared to put forward his argument before the Supreme Court after Indore Mayor Pushyamitra Bhargava sought contempt proceedings against him over his alleged controversial remarks on the apex court during the Rajya Sabha election dispute.
Claiming that he spoke to Bhargava over the phone, Singh said he thanked the Mayor for writing to Solicitor General of India Tushar Mehta and seeking consent to initiate criminal contempt proceedings against him.
According to Singh, the move would allow him to explain the circumstances in which he made the remarks and place all relevant facts before the Supreme Court. “This gives me an opportunity to present my side and explain my position in detail before the Supreme Court,” Singh said in a statement on Saturday.
The controversy arose from the bitter political battle over the Rajya Sabha election in Madhya Pradesh, where the Congress launched protests and legal challenges from Bhopal to New Delhi against the rejection of Congress candidate Minakshi Natarajan’s nomination papers from Madhya Pradesh.
The opposition party alleged irregularities in the nomination process and sought intervention from various authorities, including the courts.
However, the challenge failed to prevent the candidate’s election, leading to a sharp reaction from Congress leaders.
During a media interaction on Thursday, Singh had questioned why a petition related to the matter was not heard before a crucial deadline. During his remarks, he alleged that “everyone is involved in the theft that has taken place — not just the State, but the Centre, the Election Commission and even the Supreme Court.”
The statement triggered strong criticism from the BJP and prompted Bhargava to seek legal action. In his letter to the Solicitor General, the Indore Mayor contended that Singh’s remarks amounted to a deliberate attack on the dignity, authority and credibility of the Supreme Court.
Bhargava, a former Additional Advocate General of the Madhya Pradesh High Court, argued that the statement appeared to have been made consciously and not in the heat of the moment.
While defending his right to express his views, Singh said every citizen and public representative is entitled to present their case through constitutional and judicial channels.
“I am confident that the truth and facts will emerge with complete clarity,” Singh added.
The Congress leader also reiterated that throughout his five-decade-long political career, he has respected the Constitution, democratic institutions and the judiciary, and would continue to uphold that tradition.