Nobody Questions Judges, But I've to Answer People: Manoj Tiwari’s Defence in SC on Contempt Charges

New Delhi: Delhi BJP chief and MP Manoj Tiwari, who is facing contempt proceedings, said in the Supreme Court on Tuesday that judges were not answerable to people like the elected representatives.

"Your lordships are sitting in a cosy area where nobody comes and questions you. But I have to answer the people on the ground," senior counsel Vikas Singh, appearing for Tiwari, told a bench of Justices Madan B Lokur, S Abdul Nazeer and Deepak Gupta.

Tiwari, a Member of Parliament from the north-east Delhi constituency, is facing contempt proceedings for allegedly breaking the civic agency seal of an illegal premises. During the hearing, the court asked Tiwari's counsel why the politician had broken the seal put on the premises by the East Delhi Municipal Corporation (EDMC) officials. "Who permitted you to break up the seal when the authority has sealed it?"

Singh said that a mob of around 1,500 people had gathered at the spot at Gokalpuri area in north-east Delhi and if Tiwari would not have done this in "token protest", any untoward incident could have happened there. "Is there a rule of mob or rule of law? What is your duty as a representative of the people? " the bench asked.

Singh said a mob was there and in case of any violence, people might have died there and to prevent this scenario, Tiwari did this. He said that being an elected representative, Tiwari was answerable to the people.

The bench, after hearing the submissions, reserved its order in the matter.

The court had on September 19 issued contempt notice against Tiwari after taking note of a report filed by the monitoring committee on sealing which had alleged that the BJP leader had broken the seal of the premises.

In its report, the committee has claimed that "despite repeated directions of this court, the members of political parties and other such persons are intentionally and deliberately violating and showing utter disgrace to the directions passed by the court for political gains".