The Madras High Court on Friday (October 30) issued notice on a petition seeking a detailed investigation into the identity and antecedents of journalist and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das, along with directions to block his social media accounts over alleged derogatory remarks against the judiciary.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan issued notice to several authorities, including the Regional Passport Officer, Chennai, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), the Union Ministry of Home Affairs, the Ministry of External Affairs, the Ministry of Law and Justice and the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY).
The notices have also been issued to the grievance officers of social media platforms X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. The Court has made the notices returnable in six weeks and adjourned the matter for further consideration.
The public interest litigation has been instituted by Ganesh Kumar, a resident of Kanchipuram district, who has sought directions to the Central Government to undertake a comprehensive and impartial inquiry into the background and antecedents of Saurav Das.
The petitioner has also sought appropriate action concerning Das’s passport and Aadhaar card, including their cancellation if warranted upon completion of the proposed inquiry.
Another significant relief sought in the petition is a direction to MeitY to block Das’s Instagram and X accounts. The petitioner has further sought to restrain him from making statements allegedly derogatory towards the judiciary and judges of the Supreme Court.
During the hearing, advocate B Jagannath, appearing for the petitioner, submitted that Das had allegedly made objectionable remarks against the judiciary. He informed the Bench that a complaint had previously been submitted to the concerned authorities but no action had followed, prompting the petitioner to approach the High Court.
The counsel also emphasised the nature of the alleged remarks and questioned the manner in which the judiciary had been spoken about.
Taking note of the submissions, the Bench issued notice to the respondents and directed that their responses be placed before the Court.
The issuance of notice does not constitute any finding on the allegations raised in the petition, which remain to be examined in the course of proceedings.
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