SC holds ex-CBI Dir Rao guilty of contempt, imposes Rs 1 lakh fine

A Supreme Court bench, headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi, sentenced Rao till rising of the Court and slapped a fine of Rs 1 lakh for contempt.

"Go to one corner of court and sit down till court rises," SC told Rao

The apex court also held that it rejected the apology issued by Rao, adding that what he had done was in “blatant violation of the court’s order.”

Appearing for Rao, Attorney General KK Venugopal had sought a sympathetic view from the bench, admitting that Rao’s action of transferring former joint director AK Sharma was a “mistake, but not a willful one.” According to Live Law, the AG further added that Rao had acted on “incorrect legal advice.”

Meanwhile, the CJI asked the AG if he would argue for Rao on the issue of sentence, adding that the court was holding the latter “guilty for contempt.”

The AG, in response, pleaded that he fault was not Rao’s but his lawyers’ who did not take the court into confidence of his decision to transfer Sharma.

The CJI, in turn, observed that even if the court does take into account Rao’s apology, “his career record will remain blemished, as he has acted in contempt by his own admission.” The CJI also came down heavily on Rao, saying he has “rarely ever invoked contempt proceedings in the last 20 years.”

Rao on Monday had admitted that as an interim chief of the CBI he committed "mistake" in transferring former joint director AK Sharma, who was probing Bihar’s shelter home cases, and apologised to the Supreme Court saying he had no intention to circumvent its orders.