Judicial Officer Maligning on Social Media: SC Dismisses Plea, Upholds Jail Sentence

New Delhi: The Supreme Court dismissed a plea challenging a Madhya Pradesh High Court order that sentenced a man to 10 days in jail for making corruption allegations against a district judge.

A vacation bench of Justice Bela M Trivedi and Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra refused to interfere in the matter, stating that one cannot malign judicial officers through social media.

The court emphasized that the independence of the judiciary includes protection from external influences and that individuals should think twice before casting any aspersions on judicial officers.

Justice Trivedi remarked that the petitioner’s actions had damaged the judicial officer’s image.

The petitioner’s counsel sought leniency, arguing that the imprisonment order was excessive, but the Supreme Court stated that its role is to decide based on the law, not to show mercy.

The case pertains to Krishna Kumar Raghuvanshi, who faced a suo motu criminal contempt case initiated by Additional District Judge SPS Bandela. Raghuvanshi had defied court orders in a temple-related dispute and circulated a letter maligning the court’s image, reputation, and prestige through WhatsApp.

The reference made by the judge under Section 15(2) of the Contempt of Courts Act led to the proceedings against Raghuvanshi. The petitioner had been in jail since May 27, and his counsel argued that the matter pertained to personal liberty.

However, the Supreme Court reiterated that its decision would be based on the law, not on showing mercy, particularly in such cases.