Go to one corner of the court and sit down for entire day: SC punishment to Rao

Former CBI interim director M Nageswara Rao and the probe agency's legal advisor S Bhasuram left the courtroom after serving their day-long sentence for contempt. The apex court held them guilty of contempt for willfully disobeying its order by transferring CBI Joint Director A K Sharma, who was probing the Bihar shelter home sexual assault cases, as additional director general of CRPF on January 17.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi did not allow the second attempt of Attorney General K K Venugopal at 3:40 pm that the contemnor officers be allowed to leave. "Go to one corner of the court and sit down till the rising of this court," the court had said in the forenoon.

The top court responded furiously to the second attempt by Venugopal 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.

(With inputs from agencies.)