The Madras High Court on Friday issued notice on a public interest petition seeking an inquiry into the identity, nationality and background of journalist and Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das, besides directions to block his social media accounts over alleged derogatory remarks against the judiciary.
A Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan issued notice to the respondents, including the Regional Passport Officer, Chennai; the Chairperson of the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI); the Union Ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Law and Justice, and Electronics and Information Technology; and the grievance officers of X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram. The notice is returnable in six weeks.
The petition, filed by Ganesh Kumar of Kanchipuram district, identifies Saurav Das as “Yogesh Sharma alias Saurav Das” and seeks a detailed inquiry into his antecedents and personal background. It also seeks appropriate action concerning his passport and Aadhaar card, including their cancellation if the inquiry establishes that he is not entitled to hold them.
The petitioner has further sought directions to the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block Das’s accounts on X and Instagram. The plea also seeks to restrain him from making further allegedly derogatory statements against the judiciary and judges of the Supreme Court.
After hearing the preliminary submissions, the Court issued notice to the respondents and adjourned the matter for six weeks.