The Supreme Court on Tuesday stayed contempt proceedings initiated by the Karnataka high court against several newspapers and journalists for linking three of its judges to a sex scandal in Mysore and, thereby, tarnishing the image of the judiciary.

A bench comprising Chief Justice V N Khare, Justice S B Sinha and Justice A R Lakshmanan stayed the proceedings after hearing arguments from amicus curiae Fali S Nariman and counsel for the journalists Anil Divan and P H Parekh.

The application filed by the journalists and newspapers pointed out that the HC was going ahead with the proceedings despite the apex court's view that the "matter should gracefully come to an end".

It said though the SC had felt on October 6 that the matter needed to be given a "quietus", a notice was given on behalf of Justice N S Veerabhadriah, one of the three judges, to several newspapers claiming Rs 1 crore for defamation.

Nariman said the judge had filed nine defamation suits claiming damages on the ground that his name was linked to the scandal without any basis.

A committee appointed by the chief justice of India had earlier given a clean chit to the three judges after conducting an inquiry into the matter.

After the HC went ahead with the contempt case, the newspapers had moved the apex court, which, without staying the proceedings, demanded from the journalists to come out with evidence to substantiate their reports on the scandal.