New Delhi, May 30 (UNI) The Supreme Court on Friday ordered Chandigarh based journalist Ajay Shukla and his YouTube channel The Principle run by Varprad Media India Private Limited to immediately take down a video that made “scandalous allegations” against a senior judge of the apex judiciary.
The court also initiated suo motu criminal contempt proceedings against Shukla.
A bench led by Chief Justice of India B.R. Gavai, and comprising Justices Augustine George Masih and Atul S. Chandurkar, passed an interim order restraining further circulation of the contentious video and directed that the matter be registered as a contempt case.
“Mr. Shukla in the said video clip has made scandalous observations about one of the senior judges of this court. Such allegations, widely published on YouTube, are likely to bring disrepute to the august institution of the judiciary,” the court stated.
The bench directed the Supreme Court registry to register the case titled “In Re: Scandalous Remarks Made by Mr. Ajay Shukla, Editor-in-Chief, Varprad Media Pvt. Ltd., a Digital Channel.” It also requested the assistance of Attorney General R. Venkataramani and Solicitor General Tushar Mehta in the proceedings.
“We direct the YouTube channel to stop publication of the video and to forthwith take down the video,” the court ordered.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta welcomed the decision, remarking, “It is very serious. Grateful suo motu was taken.”
While acknowledging the constitutional right to free speech, the Court emphasised that it does not extend to making baseless, defamatory, or contemptuous statements against the judiciary.
“No doubt, the Constitution guarantees free speech and expression. However, such a right is subject to reasonable restrictions and cannot be misused to make defamatory allegations against a judge or content that is contemptuous in nature,” the Bench added.
The case marks a rare but decisive step by the Supreme Court to reinforce the sanctity of the judiciary amid growing concerns over irresponsible digital content targeting public institutions.
