Attorney General rejects contempt plea against Swara Bhaskar

New Delhi : The Attorney General of India has rejected the contempt plea against actor Swara Bhaskar for commenting on the Supreme Court's verdict on Babri Masjid and Ayodhya land dispute case; the comments were described by the petitioner as "derogatory", "scandalous" and an "attack on the institution".

One cannot file a contempt plea before taking permission from the Attorney General.

Attorney General KK Venugopal said the comment was the "perception of the speaker" and did not "offer any comment on the Supreme Court itself or say anything that would scandalise or tend to scandalise... the authority of the Supreme Court".

"In my opinion, this statement does not constitute criminal contempt," the Attorney General said.

During an event in Mumbai, actor Swara Bhaskar had said, "We are living in a country where the Supreme Court states that the demolition of the Babri Masjid was unlawful and, in the same judgment, rewards the same people who brought down the mosque".

Last year, in November, the Supreme Court had ruled that the formerly disputed land in Ayodhya belonged to the deity Ram Lalla, or the infant Lord Ram.