SC allows ex-CBI chief M Nageswara Rao to leave court after day-long detention

The Supreme Court has finally allowed former interim CBI director M Nageswara Rao to leave the court after his day-long detention.

The court had on Tuesday morning found Rao guilty of contempt of court and sentenced him and CBI legal adviser S Bhasuram to a Rs 1 lakh fine and day-long detention in the court. 

Rao and S Bhasuram, who also made to serve the day-long detention, had asked the court for permission to leave at 3.40 — but the court said no. They would have to stay till 4 pm, the rising of the court. 

The top court responded furiously to the second attempt by Attorney General K K Venugopal, who represented Rao, seeking permission for Rao to leave.

"What's this? Do you want us to sentence him till the rising of the court tomorrow? Go and sit where you were," the CJI said.

The Supreme Court had found Rao them guilty of contempt for willfully disobeying its order by transferring CBI Joint Director AK Sharma, who was probing the Bihar shelter home sexual assault cases, as additional director general of CRPF on January 17.

"In our considered view, it is a case where contempt has been committed by both the then acting CBI Director, M N Rao, and the director prosecution (of the agency)" a bench headed by Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi said.

Holding them guilty of contempt of court, the bench, comprising justices LN Rao and Sanjiv Khanna, said, "We could not have done anything else."

It said, "We have heard Rao and Bhasuram for the commission of contempt of court and we impose one lakh fine and sentence them till the rising of the court".

"Go to one corner of the court and sit down till the rising of this court," the CJI had said.