Are we intolerant of criticisms? — Hafiz Hassan
JUNE 2 — On the same day (May 30) the Attorney-General's Chambers (AGC) announced that it would pursue contempt of court proceedings against senior lawyer Shafee Abdullah, the Supreme Court of India (SCI) heard contempt proceedings against YouTuber Ajay Shukla for airing scandalous allegations against a senior Supreme Court judge. The SCI had taken suo moto cognisance of the issue the day before.
Suo moto is Latin for 'on its own motion'. So, it was the SCI who initiated the contempt proceedings, not the Attorney-General of India.
Shukla is the editor-in-chief of a digital channel. In a recent video, he allegedly made remarks about a Supreme Court judge.
The SCI considered the remarks 'scandalous allegations widely published on YouTube [which] are likely to bring disrepute to the august institution of judiciary.'
During the contempt proceedings before a bench comprising Chief Justice B.R. Gavai and Justices A.G. Masih and A.S. Chandurkar, the SCI observed that while the Indian Constitution guarantees free speech, it is subject to reasonable restrictions.
Lawyer Tan Sri Muhammad Shafee Abdullah speaks during a press conference at the Palace of Justice in Putrajaya on January 6, 2025. — Picture by Firdaus Latif
A person cannot make contemptuous allegations defaming a judge of the Supreme Court under the guise of free speech. It is detrimental to the judiciary.
Now, if contempt proceedings are taken against Shafee for his 'Nazi Germany' remarks, are we being intolerant of criticisms?
What say you?
* This is the personal opinion of the writer or publication and does not necessarily represent the views of Malay Mail.
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