The Supreme Court on Thursday dropped the contempt proceedings against former Delhi police commissioner Rakesh Asthana over alleged failure to take action on hate speeches delivered at a “Dharam Sansad” after the Centre said the chargesheet had been filed.

A bench of Chief Justice D.Y. Chandrachud and Justice J.B. Pardiwala took on record the statement and a copy of the chargesheet submitted by additional solicitor-general K.M. Natraj. The contempt petition had been filed by Tushar Gandhi, the great-grandson of Mahatma Gandhi.

Natraj also placed on record a sworn affidavit in which the Delhi police have pleaded that the probe was conducted in a fair and transparent manner.

“Learned additional solicitor-general Mr K.M. Natraj has placed on record the chargesheet and affidavit…. In view of the filing of chargesheet, it is not expedient in the interests of justice to continue with the contempt petition,” CJI Chandrachud said in a brief order.

The bench declined to provide a copy of the chargesheet to the counsel appearing for Tushar Gandhi.

At the last hearing on February 20, the court had directed the Delhi police to place before it the chargesheet relating to the investigation into the hate speeches delivered in December 2021, after the government pleaded that the probe was at an “advanced stage”.

On January 13 this year, the court had pulled up the Delhi police over the fact that the FIR was registered five months after the speeches and no chargesheet had been filed till then.

“The FIR was registered on May 4, 2022 ? The incident takes place on the 19th of December, 2021. The FIR is registered five months later on May 4, 2022? Why do you require five months to register an FIR?” the court had asked Natraj, appearing for the Centre.