The Madras High Court has issued notices to journalist and Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) spokesperson Saurav Das and several Central government authorities in a public interest litigation seeking an investigation into his background and action against his identification documents and social media accounts over alleged derogatory statements concerning the judiciary.
A Division Bench of Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan directed the respondents to respond within six weeks and adjourned the proceedings. The court made no findings regarding the allegations raised in the petition.
The PIL, filed by R Ganesh Kumar, a resident of Zamin Pallavaram in Chennai, alleges that Das repeatedly made objectionable remarks targeting the judiciary, including the Chief Justice of India and other judges of the Supreme Court.
Petitioner Seeks Investigation and Action Against Documents
The petition requests directions to the Union Ministry of Home Affairs and other concerned authorities to examine the antecedents of Das and his family members.
It specifically seeks an investigation into the background of his mother and biological father, whom the petitioner claims are residing in Puducherry.
Kumar has also sought directions for cancellation of Das’s passport and Aadhaar card if the proposed inquiry establishes sufficient grounds for such action.
The petitioner further wants the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology to block Das’s accounts on X and Instagram and prevent the publication of further statements allegedly disparaging the judiciary.
Earlier Complaint Allegedly Received No Response
Advocate B Jagannath, representing the petitioner, informed the High Court that Kumar had submitted a complaint to the relevant authorities on October 7 but had received no response.
Jagannath submitted that the language allegedly used by Das while referring to the judiciary was inappropriate and required examination by the authorities.
He argued that the absence of action on the representation had led his client to seek judicial intervention.
Multiple Central Authorities Named as Respondents
Apart from Das, the petition names the Union ministries of Home Affairs, External Affairs, Law and Justice, and Electronics and Information Technology as respondents.
The Regional Passport Officer in Chennai, the Unique Identification Authority of India (UIDAI), and grievance officers representing social media platforms X and Instagram have also been included.
The High Court has sought responses from the respondents and will take up the matter after six weeks. The allegations remain unexamined by the court, and no directions cancelling Das’s documents or restricting his social media accounts have been issued.
