The Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the six-month imprisonment sentence imposed on YouTuber Gulshan Pahuja by the Delhi High Court for criminal contempt and ordered his release from custody. A Bench of Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu issued notice on Pahuja’s appeal challenging the Delhi High Court judgment and his application for interim relief.

During the hearing, Pahuja’s counsel informed the Supreme Court that he had already undergone around 48 days of imprisonment. The Court thereafter suspended the sentence and directed that Pahuja be released, with the order to be served dasti.

The Delhi High Court had, in May, sentenced Pahuja to six months’ simple imprisonment and imposed a ?2,000 fine in each of two criminal contempt matters, with the sentences to run concurrently. The High Court had found that his videos and subsequent submissions contained scandalous remarks against judicial officers and the judicial system, amounting to criminal contempt.

The contempt proceedings arose from videos uploaded on Pahuja’s YouTube channel, Fight 4 Judicial Reforms, which featured allegations and remarks concerning judges and the functioning of courts. The High Court had earlier held him guilty of criminal contempt, observing that his conduct had scandalised the Court and lowered its authority.