New Delhi, 06 November (H.S.): The Supreme Court has issued contempt notices to all office-bearers of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) while hearing a petition concerning a social media post directed at Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant. A Bench comprising Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi observed that the Constitution is supreme and that no individual or political organisation stands above it.

The court emphasised that the independence of the judiciary is not a matter of political convenience. The notices relate to a social media post targeting Chief Justice Surya Kant. The Bench observed that judicial judgments are open to criticism, but freedom of expression cannot be used as a shield to intimidate the judiciary or interfere with the administration of justice. It further stated that irrespective of the position a person holds, any attempt to undermine the authority of the court must be dealt with firmly.

The court also said it had appointed senior advocates Arvind Datar and Gaurav Agarwal as amicus curiae to assist it in examining whether the conduct in question attracts the provisions relating to criminal or civil contempt. The Bench also sought the assistance of Attorney General R. Venkataramani in the matter.

The controversy arose after a post concerning the Chief Justice of India was published on October 12 from the official X account of the Kerala unit of the Congress. The post went viral and attracted sharp criticism on social media, following which it was deleted. The Congress subsequently stated that the person responsible for publishing the post had been removed from the position.

Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar