Stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra was slapped with contempt charges over a series of tweets criticizing the Supreme Court for granting interim bail to Republic TV editor Arnab Goswami.

Two lawyers and a law student sought Attorney General KK Venugopal's consent to initiate criminal contempt of court proceedings against the comedian and were granted on Thursday.

Kamra had called the Supreme Court the "most supreme joke" in the country, after which he posted an edited photo of the Supreme Court bathed in saffron colour with a flag of the BJP hoisted on it.

"The pace at which the Supreme Court operates in matters of "National Interests" it's time we replace Mahatma Gandhi's photo with Harish Salve's photo," he said in another tweet. 

Commenting on the tweets, Mr Venugopal asserted that such attack on the Supreme Court will lead to punishment.

"It is time that people understand attacking the Supreme Court unjustifiably and brazenly will lead to punishment," Mr Venugopal said on the incident.

"Today people boldly and brazenly condemn the Supreme Court and its judges in what they believe is freedom of speech," he added.

Arnab Goswami was granted interim bail by the Supreme Court a week after his arrest over a 2018 abetment to suicide case.