New Delhi: The Supreme Court on Friday issued notices to the president, secretary and other office-bearers of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), seeking their response on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them over a now-deleted social media post targeting Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.
A writ petition by advocate Vineet Jindal had sought suo motu action over the post published on October 12 on the official X handle of KPCC.
“Dear Surya Kant, If law and order is not your domain, resign now. We will find your replacement who can handle it,” read the post which was subsequently deleted following backlash.
The Supreme Court took serious note of the matter, pointing out the supremacy of the Constitution and independence of the judiciary.
“The Constitution is supreme; no individual or political organisation stands above it. Independence of the judiciary is not a matter of political convenience,” a bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi said.
The court observed that while judicial decisions could be criticised, “freedom of expression cannot be a shield for intimidation or interference with the administration of justice”.
The bench cautioned that any attempt to undermine the authority of courts would be dealt with strictly, irrespective of the influence wielded by the individuals involved.
“A court’s strength lies in the rule of law, not in political support. Judicial restraint must never be mistaken for institutional weakness,” the top court observed.
The counsel for Kerala Congress told the court that the disputed post had been uploaded without the knowledge, consent or approval of the party’s office-bearers.
The counsel submitted that the post was deleted as soon as it came to the leadership’s attention and that an unconditional apology was subsequently issued. The party also informed the court that it would file an unconditional apology.