Delhi High Court Holds Man Guilty Of Criminal Contempt For Posting Video On Social Media Defaming Judges

The Delhi High Court has recently held a man guilty of criminal contempt of court for posting a video on social media defaming the judges and claiming that they were doing “illegal acts.”

A division bench of Justice Suresh Kumar Kait and Justice Manoj Jain said that the expression and the video posted by the man on social media showed that he made contemptuous allegations against the judges of the High Court and lowered the dignity of the justice delivery system.

“Accordingly, we hereby hold him guilty under the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971,” the court said while listing the matter for hearing on sentence on July 19.

The man in question was a respondent in a case filed against him concerning a property in city's New Ashok Nagar.

The petitioner in the case averred that by posting the video in question, the man willfully interfered in the judicial work, obstructed in the administration of justice, scandalized and lowered the authority of the Court.

The court noted that the video specifically defamed the Judges and that the man alleged that he was disclosing the “true fate” of the Courts in front of “Janta ki Adaalat.”

Even though the man said that his intention was neither to defame the Court nor the judges and tendered unconditional apology, the court played the video and found that the man, very evidently, lowered the dignity of the Court.

“The afore-noted expression and the video posted by him in social media shows that the respondent has made contemptuous allegations against the Judges of this Court and has thereby lowered the dignity of the justice delivery system,” the court said.

Counsel for Petitioner: Mr. Gagan Gandhi, Advocate

Counsel for Respondent: Mr. Kunal Khanna & Ms.Sonia Dhariwal, Advocates for Contemnor

Title: SUDHA PRASAD v. UDAY PAL SINGH

Citation: 2024 LiveLaw (Del) 623

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