The Andhra Pradesh high court on Wednesday defended filing of cases against social media activists of YSR Congress party for allegedly posting obscene and vulgar comments against their political rivals and their family members.
The high court was reacting to a public interest litigation (PIL) petition filed by former Andhra Pradesh right to information commissioner and senior journalist P Vijaya Babu, who raised concerns over the police filing cases en masse against social media activists.
During the hearing, the high court expressed strong displeasure about filing a PIL in such cases. The court questioned what was wrong with the police taking action against individuals posting indecent content.
At one point, the bench noted that posts were being made in a manner that even insulted judges. It clarified that it could not issue blanket orders to prevent the actions of the police.
The court stated that if anyone had objections to the cases filed by the police, they could approach the court directly.
It emphasized that if the police are acting in accordance with the law against individuals posting objectionable content, there is no way to restrain them.
The state government brought to the attention of the high court bench some recent instances of posts on social media targeting women with offensive language.
Previously, the Chief Justice's bench also pointed out that posts were being made against judges, questioning how such indecent content could be controlled.
The court reiterated that the police must register cases as per the law against individuals posting objectionable content.
It firmly stated that no blanket orders would be issued under any circumstances. The high court made it clear that posting offensive content on social media is unacceptable.