Supreme Court expresses concern over abuses, derogatory comments on social media

October 06, 2017

The Supreme Court has expressed concern over abusive and derogatory comments on social media and agreed with the contention of two senior advocates that people should face consequences. The present issue came up before the court after the Samajwadi party leader Azam Khan termed the Bulandshahr gang rape last year as “ an outcome of political conspiracy” . In this present matter, the court has referred the matter a constitution bench and asserted that the larger constitutional bench shall frame questions for adjudication including the issue of social media. Senior advocates Fali S Nariman and Harish Salve are appointed as amicus curiae to the court. They have shared their own ugly experiences with trolls to a bench of Chief Justice Dipak Mishra and Justice AM Khanwilkar and DY Chandrachud. Harish Salve has also said that people should be made accountable. Tweets are posted on a public platform. He claimed that some tweets were so offensive that he had to close his twitter account. People who misuse social platforms for abusing and passing derogatory comments should be liable to face stringent consequences. He further asserted that even the government agencies were using the medium and claimed that is was their personal view. Salve expressed, that there was an urgency to regulate what is posted on social media. Over this, Justice Chandrachud who follows social media has also expressed concern over social media and a need to govern this untamed online space. In response to this, he referred to a recent case where the observations during court proceedings were circulated on social media and the people took it as the part of the verdict and started attacking Supreme Court. In the present matter, the bench added that a person's reputation is linked to the fundamental right which needs to be duly respected by others. The Supreme Court has constituted a five-judge constitution bench to determine whether a public functionary or a minister can claim freedom of speech while expressing their views in a sensitive matter which under investigation.

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Supreme Court expresses concern over abuses, derogatory comments on social media

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