The Aryavarth Express
Agency(New Delhi): The Supreme Court has recently expressed its apprehension regarding the rampant misuse of social media platforms, particularly concerning the publication of messages, comments, and articles about cases that are currently under judicial consideration.
A bench comprising the now-retired Justice Aniruddha Bose and Justice Bela Trivedi highlighted these issues while commencing a contempt case against Assam MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya. This action was prompted by Barbhuiya’s deceptive Facebook post about a case that was awaiting judgment.
The justices pointed out the serious issues arising from extensive misuse of social media where content is shared concerning active legal matters. They noted that while the judiciary is open to criticism and blame, the freedom of speech does not extend to actions that might undermine the court’s authority or interfere with legal processes.
The court remarked that judges often react during lawyer’s arguments, which should not provide grounds for misrepresenting facts or proceedings on platforms like Facebook. This misuse demands stricter scrutiny, especially when such actions originate from parties involved in the legal proceedings.
In response to these concerns, the Supreme Court issued a contempt notice to the MLA and mandated his presence in court. The matter has been scheduled for further review in four weeks, and instructions have been given to place the case before the Chief Justice of India for appropriate procedural assignment.
The initiation of contempt proceedings was based on Barbhuiya’s March 20 Facebook post, where he inaccurately claimed a favorable court decision in an election-related petition, although the court had only reserved its decision at that time. Following this, on April 8, the Supreme Court resolved the election petition in favor of Barbhuiya, dismissing the charges against him.