Thread by @AIIndia

1/5 It is unfortunate that @pbhushan1 has been held guilty of contempt of court for his tweets criticising the functioning of the judiciary. Outdated provisions of criminal contempt laws in India must not be used to punish critics of the judiciary. #prashantbhushan

2/5 Because of the importance of an independent judiciary in society, it will inevitably be subject to comments and complaints, which can sometimes be deemed offensive. But courts can and should tolerate criticism #prashantbhushan

3/5 If comments directly affect the reputation of individual judges, they can take recourse to civil remedies like any other person. Outdated provisions of criminal contempt laws limit freedom of expression and opinion. It is akin to gagging dissent". #prashantbhushan

4/5 Amnesty International India recommends the repeal of Section 2(c)(i) of the Contempt of Courts Act that defines criminal contempt as any act or publication which scandalises or tends to scandalise, or lowers or tends to lower the authority of, any court. #prashantbhushan

5/5 The United Human Rights Committee which monitors state compliance with the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights – to which India is a state party – has noted that all public figures and public institutions are legitimately subject to criticism.