Boss music school head, three others had hurled slipper at SC judge.
Four women employees of Mumbai’s Boss music school were on Wednesday sentenced to three months in jail by the Supreme Court for hurling a slipper at an apex court judge on March 20. The court also slapped a fine of Rs1 lakh on each of them.
The four had hurled a slipper at former justice Arijit Pasayat, who was then heading the bench hearing a petition alleging contempt of chief justice KG Balakrishnan. Justice Pasayat now heads the newly-formed Competition Commission.
A bench of justices Altmas Kabir, GS Singhvi and HL Dattu found school principal Leila David, 75, its audio engineer Annette Kotian, 23, music teacher Pavitra Murali and psychologist Savita Parekh guilty of contempt of court and sentenced them to a three-month prison term.
In its judgment, the court said, “Throwing footwear on judges amounts to scandalising the institution of the Supreme Court.”
While Kotian and Parekh were taken into custody in the courtroom itself, the court ordered the arrest of David and Murali from their residences in Mumbai. They will be brought to Delhi’s Tihar jail.
Later, the judges adjourned the hearing on a petition involving similar charges of contempt of court. The convicted women had been accused of committing contempt of court on at least six occasions.
On March 20, the women contemnors had been sent to jail after one of them hurled a slipper at justice Pasayat.
Justice Pasayat, in his order, had noted that then solicitor-general Goolam E Vahanvati, who is now the attorney-general for India, was present when the contemnors hurled the chappal and started using abusive language against the judges. They had also wanted the judges jailed.
Later, a bench headed by justice BN Agrawal granted them bail, saying that despite hurling a slipper at the judge in full public view, they were not liable to be convicted and sentenced summarily without adherence to the due process of law involving fair trial and examination of witnesses.
According to Nancy D’Souja, a teacher at Boss school, their problems began when the parents of some students accused them of hypnotising their children and practicing black magic and witchcraft on them.
It all began with Kotian joining the Boss (Bouquet of Songs and Smile) School of Music as its audio engineer and developing an “obsessive liking” for music, like many other children in the school, she said.
The School was founded by Glen Fernandes at Vasai, 40km from Mumbai, in 1996. The police have registered several cases against its members, some of whom have been accused of prostitution and indulging in black magic.
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