HC wants abusive social media posts removed

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New Delhi: The Andhra Pradesh High Court observed that “bashing judges has become a favorite pastime for some people,” and ordered Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and YouTube to remove abusive content against judges in New Delhi. 36 hours, Live Law reported.

The court also ordered YouTube to block the channel named “Punch Prabhakar”, which posted abusive videos against the judges.

In a politically polarized environment, judges have become easy targets for organized campaigns. “Political rivals are becoming active on social media, attempts are made to influence proceedings and intimidate judges. Once the judgments / orders are rendered, the injured party vigorously launches a smear campaign by imputing reasons to the judges and attempts are made to damage the institutional reputation, ”Judge Kanneganti observed in the order.

“’Denigrating judges’ and using derogatory and contemptuous language against judges has become a favorite pastime of some people. These statements tend to scandalize and demean the authority of the courts and cannot be authorized because, for the functioning of a democracy, an independent judiciary to deliver justice without fear and without favor is essential… critical ”, declared order.

A division bench of Chief Justice Prashant Kumar Mishra and Justice Lalitha Kanneganti made the observations during the hearing of last year’s case on the issuance of notices of contempt suo moto to several linked to the government for allegedly posting objectionable material on social media.

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On May 27, 2020, the Andhra Pradesh High Court issued formal notice to 49 people, including an MP and a former MP, for allegedly posting abusive comments, including remarks about caste, the judiciary and judges who had rendered a verdict against the YSR Congressional Government.

The high court then ordered the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) to investigate the allegations against the judges.

In November 2020, the CBI filed a first information report (FIR) against 16 individuals for defamation of Supreme Court judges and high courts on social networks.

According to the FIR, according to India Today, key personnel in senior positions in the state of Andhra Pradesh posted “abusive, life-threatening and intimidating” messages against the judges on Facebook and Twitter. The messages were linked to certain judgments and court orders.

However, on October 29, the judiciary expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of the CBI investigation and requested an affidavit from the director of the CBI on what happened after December 2020 and his efforts. , reported Live Law.

On the whereabouts of Punch Prabhakar, Police Superintendent, CBI, Vishakhapattanam, told the High Court that the agency was using FBI help to catch him because he resides in the United States. However, there has been no progress in the case so far, according to Live Law.

On September 2, the investigative agency filed a complaint against YSR congressional supporter Lingareddy Rajasekhar Reddy for allegedly posting objectionable articles on social media regarding various verdicts against the government. In July, the CBI found incriminating documents during a search of his home. The investigative agency had also arrested him.

Ten days later, the CBI filed four separate indictments against four defendants in a competent court in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh in a similar case.

According to the indictment, according to the news website, two of the defendants operated Facebook accounts with the names “Kondareddy Dhanireddy YSRCP” and “Guntur Metropolis”, which posted objectionable content on the social media platform .

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