Observing that the independence of the judiciary is not a matter of "political convenience", the Supreme Court on Friday issued contempt notices to all office bearers of the Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) over a social media post targeting Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant.
A bench of Justices Aravind Kumar and Vipul M Pancholi said the Constitution is supreme and that no individual or political organisation stands above it.
"Judgments are always open to criticism. Freedom of expression can't be a shield of intimidation to interfere with the administration of justice. Howsoever high position a person occupies, any attempt to undermine the authority of the court needs to be dealt with an iron hand," the bench said.
"Authority of the court doesn't require political endorsement; it rests on the rule of law. Where administration of justice is established, the law must take its course," the bench added.
The bench reiterated that the independence of the judiciary is not a matter of political convenience.
The top court appointed a senior advocate as amicus curiae to examine whether criminal or civil contempt provisions apply in the matter. It also sought the assistance of Attorney General R Venkataramani.
A post targeting the CJI, published on the official X account of the Kerala unit of Congress, went viral on October 12, drawing sharp criticism on social media before it was deleted. The party subsequently said it had removed the person responsible.
(With inputs from PTI)