NewDelhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued a contempt notice to all office bearers of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) over a social media post targeting Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.
The court observed that the independence of the judiciary cannot be treated as a matter of “political convenience” and stressed that no individual or political organisation is above the Constitution.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi said that while court judgments can be criticised, freedom of expression cannot be used to threaten or interfere with the administration of justice.
“Judgments are always open to criticism. Freedom of expression can’t be a shield of intimidation to interfere with the administration of justice. Howsoever high position a person occupies, any attempt to undermine the authority of the court needs to be dealt with an iron hand.
“Authority of the court doesn’t require political endorsement; it rests on the rule of law. Where administration of justice is established, the law must take its course,” the bench said.
The Supreme Court further said that the independence of the judiciary cannot depend on political considerations.
The bench appointed a senior advocate as amicus curiae to examine whether the matter attracts criminal or civil contempt. It also sought assistance from Attorney General R Venkataramani.
The controversy began after a post targeting CJI Surya Kant was shared from the official X account of the Congress’ Kerala unit on October 12. The post went viral and drew sharp criticism on social media before it was deleted.
The party later said that it had removed the person responsible for the post.
Bureau Report
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