Post on CJI: SC's contempt notice to Keralam Cong office-bearers

NEW DELHI: Observing that the Constitution is supreme and that no individual or political organisation stands above it, Supreme Court Friday issued notice to office-bearers of Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC), including its president, seeking their response on why contempt proceedings should not be initiated against them over a now-deleted social media post on CJI Surya Kant. A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M. Pancholi was hearing a petition filed by advocate Vineet Jindal seeking suo motu action regarding the post published on the official X account of Indian National Congress's Keralam unit. KPCC submitted that the post was uploaded without office-bearers' approval, and was immediately taken down after it came to the notice of the party. It said an unconditional apology had also been issued.

The bench, however, said SC would examine "whether it has come from the pen or your heart" and agreed to hear the petition. "...Independence of the judiciary is not a matter of political convenience," the court said. It said while judgements are always open to criticism, "freedom of expression cannot be a shield for intimidation or interference with the administration of justice" and "judicial restraint must never be mistaken for institutional weakness".