NEW DELHI: Expressing concern over imputations against the judiciary, especially through social media, Justice Sanjay Kishan Kaul said on Sunday such aspersions are a reflection of intolerance.
Giving an online lecture on ‘Freedom of Speech in times of Covid-19 — Fake news and misinformation’ organised by the MBA Academy and the Madras High Court Bar Association, Justice Kaul said criticism of a view point or judgment itself is not the problem. “The issue arises when former members of the institution start making imputations and gradings.”
While he did not take any names, his comments appear to be a response to former SC judge Madan B Lokur’s recent article on a blog, which said the apex court deserved an ‘F’ grade for the manner in which it handled the migrant crisis.
Justice Kaul is part of the SC bench hearing the migrant issue. He observed people are becoming increasingly intolerant of opinions that don’t align with theirs. “So, people who hold opposing views may be called by each other as a ‘Modi Bhakt’ or an ‘Urban Naxal’ or other labels,” he said, adding that one has to learn to appreciate another’s point of view without agreeing with it.