‘Judicial patience not weakness’: Himachal High Court drops contempt case after apology

Judicial patience is not a sign of weakness, the Himachal Pradesh High Court has said, while sparing an advocate and a former Member of Parliament from punishment in a contempt case after accepting their unconditional apology over a Facebook live video. Closing the case, the court warned that any future attempt to undermine the judiciary through social media would be dealt with firmly.Justices Vivek Singh Thakur and Sandeep Sharma were on July 27 hearing suo motu criminal contempt proceedings on whether the two respondents should be punished for allegedly scandalising the judiciary and making derogatory remarks against a high court judge in a Facebook live broadcast. The video was uploaded citing dissatisfaction over the progress of a criminal probe.“Judicial patience must never be mistake