contempt of court
Attorney General KK Venugopal said the stand-up comedian's tweets “crossed the line between humour and contempt".
The Senior Advocate said that the manner of the fine's imposition and the court's waiting to elicit an apology from Bhushan diminished its own authority.
The lawyer said while he reserves his right to seek a review of the conviction and sentencing, he will respectfully pay the fine.
The fine must be paid by 15 September.
The lawyer had refused to offer an apology to the court for his two tweets and said that what he expressed represented his bona fide belief which he continued to hold.
"I do not think that this is a case where the offence of scandalising the court or lowering the authority of the court would arise," said the Attorney General in a letter to a lawyer.
During the hearing, Bhushan said, “I believe that open criticism of any institution is necessary in any democracy to safeguard the constitutional order".
While Prashant Bhushan told Supreme Court, "I am pained that I am grossly misunderstood" , people took to the streets and also tweeted in support of him.
A silenced bar cannot lead to a strong court, said senior advocate Hegde about the Supreme Court judgment holding Prashant Bhushan guilty of contempt of court for his critical tweets.