SC defers hearing of contempt petition against Karunanidhi

New Delhi, Sep 20 (UNI) The Supreme Court will hear a contempt of court petition seeking prosecution of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M Karunanidhi separaately after the hearing of the batch of petitions challenging the impugned notification is over.

Mr Karunanidhi allegedly made contemptuous remarks against the two judges who stayed the government notification providing 27 per cent reservation to OBCs in the centrally run educational institutions of higher studies, The petitioner K R Ramaswamy alias T Ramaswamy has filed a contempt of court petition against Mr Karunanidhi for a statement he made on April 24 this year saying, "a situation in which a mere two or three persons (read judges) could determine the fate and the future of 100 crore people, is harmful to democracy".

Mr Karunanidhi is alleged to have openly criticized the judiciary for staying the government notification and had warned that the OBCs would erupt like a volcano unless the Centre quickly corrected the crisis created by the Supreme Court in staying the 27 per cent reservation in elite educational institutions.

The DMK leader has been openly encouraging all political caste-based parties to be prepared for "bloodshed agitation" throughout.

The statement was widely reported by the media.

The petitioner who has been waiting for over a month for hearing of his petition was today told by the constitution bench, headed by Chief Justice K G Balakrishnan, that his petition would be heard after the hearing of the main case is over.

It may be noted here that earlier the petition of Ramaswamy was directed to be listed for hearing along with the petitions challenging the quota policy of the government.

UNI