सुप्रीम कोर्ट ने कहा "सोशल मीडिया को नियंत्रित नहीं किया जा सकता" और "देश के किसी भी हिस्से को पाकिस्तान नहीं कहा जा सकता"

Supreme Court says "social media cannot be controlled" and "no part of the country can be called Pakistan"

The Supreme Court on Wednesday said social media cannot be controlled and no part of the country can be called Pakistan when it closed the suo motu proceedings against a Karnataka High Court judge for his objectionable remarks, noting that the judicial officer has apologised for his remarks. A five-judge bench headed by Chief Justice DY Chandrachud and also comprising Justices Sanjiv Khanna, BR Gavai, Surya Kant and Hrishikesh Roy closed the suo motu proceedings initiated over the objectionable remarks of a Karnataka High Court judge.

The apex court noted that the Karnataka High Court judge has apologised for his remarks in open court and said it does not wish to pursue the matter further in the interest of justice and dignity of the institution. The apex court said no part of the country can be called Pakistan as such remarks affect the territorial integrity of the country. The top court also took note of the controversies arising over the demand to stop live streaming of court proceedings and said that the answer to sunlight is more sunlight to bring maximum transparency in judicial proceedings. The court also remarked that social media cannot be controlled and the answer is not to shut it down. The top court also said that judges should be careful during court proceedings and refrain from using "anti-women or prejudicial remarks". The top court remarked that casual observation may indicate some bias, especially when they are directed against a particular gender or community.

The top court said that in the age of social media, any remarks made by judges can have a wide impact, and therefore, judges should be aware of their instincts so that they can dispense justice impartially. The Supreme Court on last Friday took suo motu cognizance of media reports related to certain remarks made by a judge of the Karnataka High Court. Video clips of the judge have surfaced on social media platform X, with several prominent advocates calling for suo motu action against him. Two video clips of a judge of the Karnataka High Court have surfaced on social media platforms and in one of them, he can be heard making gender insensitive remarks against a woman lawyer, while in the other video, the judge referred to a Muslim-dominated area of ​​Bengaluru as "Pakistan".