Kochi | The Kerala Judicial Officers’ Association has submitted a memorandum to the Kerala High Court seeking action over the public scandalisation of a judge who delivered the verdict in the 2017 actress assault case, in which the accused actor was acquitted.
The association said there was an "unfortunate" and growing trend of personal attacks against judges whenever a judgment was pronounced.
“In recent days, this tendency has crossed all limits,” the memorandum said.
It said photographs uploaded on official platforms were being widely misused to tarnish the image of judicial officers, which appeared to be a calculated attempt to defame the entire system and erode the credibility of the judiciary.
“We cannot remain silent spectators to such orchestrated actions. A judge can act only on the evidence placed before the court and cannot deliver a verdict in accordance with baseless media narratives,” it said.
According to the association, judges have no forum to respond to such criticism, as they speak solely through their judgments.
“In this regard, the association submits that the publication of disparaging statements is calculated to interfere with the due course of justice or the proper administration of law by the court and amounts to criminal contempt,” it said.
In the memorandum, the association shared links to various social media accounts of lawyers and film industry personalities, as well as YouTube videos and news articles, which it claimed contained defamatory content against the judge.
The association also alleged that photographs of the judge were published in violation of the law.
It further referred to a lawyer who allegedly posted an anonymous letter on his Facebook account claiming that the judgment in the actress assault case had been leaked.
The association requested the High Court to take adequate measures to uphold the dignity of members of the judiciary, to initiate contempt proceedings against the offenders, to direct the offenders and social media platforms to delete and remove malicious and derogatory content, and to restrain social media platforms from hosting such material.
The Ernakulam District and Principal Sessions Court acquitted four, including Dileep, while sentencing six people to 20 years of rigorous imprisonment in the actress assault case.
