The Kerala High Court has sentenced the accused to three days of simple imprisonment and imposed a fine of ₹2,000 for criminal contempt of court, following a series of Facebook posts that the Court held were calculated to scandalise the judiciary and undermine public confidence in the institution.
A Division Bench comprising Justice Raja Vijayaraghavan V and Justice Jobin Sebastian found that the accused had published highly derogatory and politically charged statements on social media, targeting sitting Judges of the Court. These included allegations of political bias, influence by external organisations, and improper judicial conduct particularly in cases concerning the Devaswom Bench.
The Court noted that accused had earlier been discharged in a separate contempt case after offering an unconditional apology. However, soon after, he resumed posting similar contemptuous content. In one of his new posts, he openly admitted that his previous apology was a tactical ruse.
Despite initially admitting authorship of the posts in his affidavit, the accused later attempted to disown them during evidence, claiming his Facebook account had been accessed by someone else. The Court dismissed this as a “prevaricating stand” and concluded that his conduct revealed a clear intent to scandalise the judiciary.
The Court held that the posts did not constitute fair criticism but were malicious attacks that questioned the integrity and impartiality of Judges. Refusing his plea for leniency, the Court declined to suspend the sentence and directed immediate execution of the punishment.
Appearances:
Petitioner: ADV. DHEERENDRA KRISHNAN.K.K.