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| Justice V. Srishananda |
Social Media has become a powerful means to communicate. There are pros and cons to it. It may be useful for good governance and social awareness. However, the IT laws of India don't constitute a body to regularly check and issue red cards for fake news and anti-social messages. We may not deny the cones of social media, but the advantages are also significant in numbers.
Recently, a judge named Hon'ble Justice Vedavyasachar Srishananda remarked that a part of the state is Pakistan. His statement was a headline in many newspapers and other social media platforms. The Supreme Court of India took suo moto cognisance of the matter on the 20th day of September. Hon'ble court had requested the Registrar General of the High Court to submit a report on this issue.
The next day after the suo moto cognisance of the Supreme Court the learned judge of the High Court apologised for his statement in front of the Advocate Association. The Registrar General also submitted a report to the Supreme Court of India on the 23rd of September.
Read the office report of the petition latest updated on 23rd of September.
The Supreme Court took cognisance acknowledging that two videos were viral on social media. Even a judge has a fear of social media. There were two different incidents of the same judge. Both incidents were on social media in video format. The first video was a part of the proceeding on 6th June and the second on 28th August. The court did not make the Judge a party to it. The High Court was the party to it. The court did not take any action against the judge or the High Court. The judge himself made an apology statement in front of Bar members. His statement was satisfactory to the Supreme Court, and that's how the matter was dismissed.
On 25th of September, the Supreme Court adopted the report and closed the petition on the ground that the learned judge had expressed his sorrow for his remarks. The order of disposal of the matter has been uploaded. It is clear from the court's observation that social media is now a powerful instrument for communication. It may be used to mark a society or a person as inferior or superior. The court and advocates should avoid illogical and defamatory statements.