Social Media Misinformation On Pending Cases Draws Supreme Court’s Ire

New Delhi: The Supreme Court has expressed strong disapproval over the rampant misuse of social media platforms for commenting on ongoing court cases. The rebuttal came after Assam MLA Karim Uddin Barbhuiya faced contempt charges for allegedly misrepresenting court proceedings on Facebook.

A Bench led by Justice Aniruddha Bose expressed concern over the proliferation of social media misuse in commenting on court proceedings. They emphasized that while criticism is acceptable, posts that undermine the authority of the Courts or interfere with justice are concerning.

The Court highlighted that judges may react during proceedings, but this doesn’t grant parties or their lawyers the right to distort facts on social media. The Bench issued a contempt notice to All India United Democratic Front leader Karim Uddin Barbhuiya, representing Sonai assembly constituency in Assam, following a petition by Congress leader Aminul Haque Laskar.

Laskar complained that Barbhuiya falsely claimed on Facebook that the Supreme Court ruled in his favour, while it had only reserved its verdict. The Court directed Barbhuiya to respond to the contempt notice within four weeks and ordered a copy of its order to be sent to the Attorney General.

Senior counsel Jaideep Gupta argued on behalf of Haque that Barbhuiya’s Facebook post was an attempt to interfere with the Court’s proceedings and administration of justice, as it was made while the matter was reserved for judgment.