The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to comedian Kunal Kamra and cartoonist Rachita Taneja in connection with separate petitions seeking criminal contempt action against them for “allegedly denigrating judiciary and judges”. They have to reply to the notices within six weeks, Live Law reported.

The Leaflet tweeted that the court asked Kamra and Taneja, the creator of the Sanitary Panels comic, “why contempt proceedings against them should not be initiated for their contemptuous posts”.

A bench of Justices Ashok Bhushan, R Subhash Reddy and MR Shah issued the notices. Attorney General KK Venugopal had granted consent to initiate criminal proceedings against Kamra on November 12 and Taneja 12 on 1 December. Venugopal had argued that Taneja’s caricatures shook “public confidence in judiciary".

“I find that today people believe that they can boldly and brazenly condemn the Supreme Court of India and its judges by exercising what they believe is their freedom of speech,” the attorney general said. “I believe that it is time that people understand that attacking the Supreme Court of India unjustifiably and brazenly will attract punishment under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1972.”

Kamra has refused to apologise for his comments. "My view hasn't changed because the silence of the Supreme Court of India on matters of other's personal liberty cannot go uncriticised," he had said last month. "I don't intend to retract my tweets or apologize for them. I believe they speak for themselves."

As per the Contempt of Courts Act, the punishment for a conviction can include “simple imprisonment for a term which may extend to six months, or with fine which may extend to two thousand rupees, or with both”, The Week reported.