New Delhi, Oct. 16 -- A criminal contempt petition was filed on Thursday in the Supreme Court against Shiv Sena (UBT) lawmaker Sanjay Raut and journalist Nikhil Wagle for making derogatory remarks against Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant on social media earlier this week after he turned down a request to meet Opposition leaders.

The petition was filed by Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) through its president and senior advocate Pradeep Kumar Rai under Article 129 of the Constitution and the relevant provisions under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971, and Rule 3(c) of the Rules to Regulate Proceedings for Contempt of the Supreme Court, 1975.

Since the 1975 Rules require prior consent of the Attorney General or solicitor general...