YouTuber who called judiciary 'taanashahi, manmarzi' gets 6 months jail
What's the story
The Delhi High Court has sentenced YouTuber Gulshan Pahuja to six months in jail for criminal contempt of court. The court also imposed a fine of ₹2,000 on him. Pahuja was found guilty of making scandalous remarks about the judiciary in his videos and during court proceedings. He had compared the judiciary to a dictatorship, saying he expects no justice from it.
Youtuber
'He showed no regrets'
Pahuja had said that he expects no justice from the Indian judicial system and stated, "Adaalaton ki manmarzi badhti jaa rahi hai aur main koi nyay ki umeed nahi kar raha" (the arbitrary actions of the courts are increasing and I am not expecting any justice) and "manmarzi ka dusra arth taanashahi hota hai" (the synonym for arbitrariness is dictatorship). The court observed that the contemnor showed no regret for the remarks. "He also does not suggest any course correction."
Court proceedings
Lesser punishment might embolden Pahuja to repeat such acts: HC
The decision was taken by a Division Bench of Justice Navin Chawla and Justice Ravinder Dudeja. They said a lesser punishment might embolden Pahuja to repeat such acts in the future. Earlier, the court had found him guilty of contempt after he continued to justify his remarks as public interest advocacy for judicial reforms. During sentencing hearings, he reiterated his controversial statements about the Indian judicial system.
Advocate response
Controversial videos uploaded on YouTube channel 'Fight 4 Judicial Reforms'
The controversial videos were uploaded on Pahuja's YouTube channel "Fight 4 Judicial Reforms," where he interviewed advocates Shiv Narayan Sharma and Deepak Singh. It was reported that during the interview, the advocates made disparaging remarks against judges and courts. Three judicial officers later flagged the videos. The advocates apologized unconditionally, saying they didn't consent to their interviews being uploaded online with objectionable thumbnails. However, Pahuja justified his comments as part of a campaign for audio-video recordings of court proceedings.
Conduct assessment
HC has stayed Pahuja's punishment for 60 days
On April 21, the Court found him guilty of contempt of court. It then held a separate hearing for the sentencing. During the sentence hearing, Pahuja again stated that he does not expect justice from the judicial system. He stated, "adaalaton ki manmarzi badhti jaa rahi hai aur main koi nyay ki umeed nahi kar raha." The HC has stayed Pahuja's punishment for 60 days after he declared his intention to approach the Supreme Court.