3 min readLucknowUpdated: Feb 27, 2026 01:47 PM IST
A civil judge in Basti district had recommended contempt proceedings against a lawyer in January last year, seeking punishment. (Photo generated via AI)
The Allahabad High Court has expressed serious concern over growing instances of abuses hurled at superior courts on social media and reminded the public to be cautious in the future.
The Division Bench of Justice JJ Munir and Justice Pramod Kumar Srivastava, while hearing proceedings for criminal contempt against a lawyer, on Tuesday, also cautioned that such social media posts may face legal penalties.
A civil judge in Basti district had recommended contempt proceedings against a lawyer in January last year, seeking punishment.
In its order, the High Court said the lawyer’s statements during the hearing of a case in the court of a Civil Judge were found to be scandalising and lowering the authority of the court.
“The reason why we do not reproduce the obnoxious words employed by the contemnor is that by making them part of our order we would be echoing disrespect shown to the Court and the judiciary as a whole, a matter which the public at large nowadays have the tendency to receive almost with delight,” the High Court said.
“We must say here that any outlandish expression in contemporary times employed against the Courts and Judges has become a favourite pastime of the public, who, untrained as they are in the law, much more than the yesteryear generation, are prone by this behaviour of theirs to usher in a lawless society,” the Bench added.
Taking cognizance of the concern expressed by the advocate, appearing for the High Court, that criminal contempt of court has become the order of the day, the Bench observed, “Though, we do not take judicial notice because that would have consequences, but we do pay judicial attention, as it must be, to the fact that instances of criminal contempt galore on the social media in the name of freedom of expression, which cross the line. There are virtual abuses on media hurled at superior Courts, which are, by no means, within the fold of the defence, called fair comment or the informed criticism of a judgment.”
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“This is not the subject matter of the present contempt reference, but we do wish to remind the public to be cautious in future, because words that are most unambiguously contumacious, circulate on the social media, which, as and when, taken cognizance of in our contempt jurisdiction, may expose the contemnor to penalties of the law, which the Court may not hesitate to impose,” the Bench said.
Bhupendra Pandey is the Resident Editor of the Lucknow edition of The Indian Express. With decades of experience in the heart of Uttar Pradesh’s journalistic landscape, he oversees the bureau’s coverage of India’s most politically significant state. His expertise lies in navigating the complex intersections of state governance, legislative policy, and grassroots social movements. From tracking high-stakes assembly elections to analyzing administrative shifts in the Hindi heartland, Bhupendra’s reportage provides a definitive lens on the region's evolution.
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