A YouTuber from Chandigarh has sparked controversy by making objectionable remarks about a Supreme Court judge in one of his videos. The Supreme Court has taken suo-motu cognizance of the matter and initiated contempt proceedings against the YouTuber involved.
What’s the Case About?
The three-judge vacation bench of the Supreme Court, comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai, Justice A.G. Masih, and Justice A.S. Chandurkar, has intervened in the matter. The bench has ordered the YouTube channel to immediately stop publishing the video and directed YouTube to remove the offensive post. The next hearing for the case has been scheduled for July.
In its order, the Supreme Court expressed concerns over the wide dissemination of such defamatory content, stating that it could harm the reputation of the judiciary. The court highlighted the serious nature of the allegations made in the video and their potential impact on the public perception of the judicial system.
Court’s Remarks
The Supreme Court emphasized that while the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression, this right is subject to reasonable restrictions. It stated, “There is no doubt that the Constitution guarantees freedom of expression. However, this freedom is subject to reasonable restrictions, and no individual can be allowed to make accusations of a nature that defame or ridicule judges of the court, as these could be contemptuous.”
The bench further added that the allegations made against the judge in the video were “highly defamatory” and could damage the credibility of the judiciary.
Legal Counsel Involved
In response to the case, the vacation bench has sought the assistance of India’s Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta to provide guidance to the court on how to proceed with the matter.
As the case develops, the focus is now on how far the boundaries of freedom of speech and the protection of judicial integrity will be tested in this instance. The outcome of this case could have wider implications on how public commentary about judicial officers is handled in the future.
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