Kerala Judicial Officers' Association Seeks Kerala High Court Action Over Cyber Attacks on Ernakulam Sessions Judge After Actress Rape Case Verdict
From the Editor's Desk
The Kerala Judicial Officers’ Association (KJOA) has urged the Kerala High Court to take action against individuals who, it says, made disparaging remarks about Smt. Honey M. Varghese, Principal District and Sessions Judge, Ernakulam, in connection with her verdict in the actress rape case.
Describing the episode as an “unprecedented incident of public scandalisation” of a sitting judge, the association has sought contempt proceedings and other measures against those responsible. KJOA is a registered representative body of judicial officers in Kerala’s district judiciary.
“The videos and articles circulated through platforms such as Google, Facebook, Instagram and YouTube, contains wild, defamatory, and scandalous imputations against a sitting Judicial Officer. Such materials are intended to erode public confidence in the judiciary by scandalising a Judge in the eyes of the public and amount to criminal contempt of court under Section 2(c) of the Contempt of Courts Act, 1971. Hon'ble High Court's urgent intervention is therefore sought to protect the independence of the judiciary and to ensure adequate safeguards for Judicial Officers from such public vilification and scandalisation,” the letter states.
The association has named certain practising lawyers, film personalities and media houses, alleging that their comments amounted to personal attacks on the judge. According to KJOA, these statements were intended to undermine the authority of the judiciary in the public eye.
“The most egregious misconduct, and the primary ground for this complaint, is the deliberate live-streaming of defamatory content through Facebook and YouTube, wherein wild, baseless, and scandalous allegations—including a false charge of preparation of judgement in consultation with the accused—were made against a sitting Judicial Officer. Such public broadcast goes far beyond individual defamation.”
KJOA also warned that such attacks on judicial officers over their judgments are becoming increasingly common, and said the current controversy should not be seen as an isolated incident.
“Distorted versions of judgments are being circulated without even reading the actual text, and false allegations are being propagated against Judicial Officers. It is particularly painful that even certain lawyers are joining hands with such unscrupulous individuals, thereby undermining both the noble legal profession and the judicial system...Photographs uploaded on official platforms are being widely misused to tarnish the image of Judicial Officers. This appears to be a calculated attempt to defame the entire system and erode the credibility of the judiciary. There has even been a deliberate effort to malign the institution through the circulation of an anonymous letter. We cannot remain silent spectators to such orchestrated actions.”
According to the association, derogatory statements aimed at judges can interfere with the administration of justice and may amount to criminal contempt.
“A Judge can act only on the evidence placed before the court and cannot deliver a verdict in accordance with baseless media narratives. Moreover, a judge has no forum to respond to such criticism, as a judge speaks solely through judgment. In this regard, the Association submits that the publication of the disparaging statements are calculated to interfere with the due course of justice or proper administration of law by the Court and amounts to criminal contempt.”
In its representation—signed by its President—KJOA has requested the High Court to take steps to uphold the dignity of the judiciary, initiate contempt proceedings against the alleged offenders, direct both the offenders and social media platforms to delete and remove what it termed malicious and derogatory content, and restrain platforms from hosting similar material in the future.
