Lawfare, General Lawfare – Journalists

The Supreme Court today agreed to hear next week the plea of a lawyer alleging that some advocates and politicians were making contemptuous remarks against the top judiciary on social media and news channels.

A bench headed by Chief Justice Dipak Misra considered the submission of lawyer Gaurav Bhatia, who is also a BJP spokesperson, that even senior lawyers and politicians were making contemptuous public statements about the judiciary and the court should take judicial note of these remarks.

“We will hear either on Tuesday or Wednesday,” the bench, also comprising Justices A M Khanwilkar and D Y Chandrachud, said. The plea has sought guidelines for setting out responsibility and duty of the print and electronic media towards the society and also towards judicial institutions in respect of reporting the order, judgements and proceedings of the court. “Guidelines in relation to the reporting of oral observations made by the judges during a hearing of a matter not forming part of the court order,” the plea said.