From Ranveer Allahbadia to Nupur Sharma: Justice Surya Kant's top remarks

Justice Surya Kant, who criticised YouTuber Ranveer Allahbadia for offensive comments, has often made remarks during court hearings which have garnered significant attention

The Supreme Court on Tuesday granted Ranveer Allahbadia protection from arrest while criticising the YouTuber for his offensive remarks on Samay Raina's show 'India's Got Latent.' Justice Surya Kant asserted that the podcaster had something "very dirty" on his mind, which he had "vomited" during the show.

 

In a career spanning decades, Justice Surya Kant has delivered judgments in cases involving constitutional law, environmental issues, and human rights. Besides the judgments, his remarks during court hearings have also garnered significant attention.

 

Here are some of the cases where Justice Kant's comments made the news.

 

1. Ranveer Allahbadia case

 

Justice Surya Kant was part of the Bench hearing Ranveer Allahbadia's plea to combine the FIRs against him and to seek anticipatory bail. While granting him protection from arrest, Justice Kant rebuked Allahbadia for his remarks, calling them "disgusting," "filthy," and "insulting."  

 

 

Justice Kant criticised the YouTuber for "assuming" that his popularity granted him a licence to speak vulgarities without regard for societal norms. "He is insulting parents also! There is something dirty in this person's mind that has been spread through this programme. Why should the courts favour him?" he asked.

 

2. Mohammed Zubair’s bail case

 

In 2022, Justice Kant was part of a three-judge bench headed by former CJI DY Chandrachud which presided over the bail case of fact-checker Mohammed Zubair. The fact-checker was facing multiple FIRs for offenses such as promoting enmity between religious groups and outraging religious sentiments.

 

While granting bail to Zubair, Justice Kant had a different stand on freedom of speech. “A blanket order directing the petitioner to not express his opinion – an opinion he is rightfully entitled to hold as an active, participating citizen – would be disproportionate to the purpose of imposing conditions on bail. The imposition of such a condition would amount to a gag order against the petitioner. Gag orders have a chilling effect on the freedom of speech... Passing an order restricting him from posting on social media would constitute an unjustified violation of the freedom of speech and expression, and the freedom to practise his profession,” the bench said.

 

3. Nupur Sharma case

 

During the hearing of a case concerning Nupur Sharma, a former BJP spokesperson whose remarks about Prophet Muhammad sparked widespread protests, Justice Surya Kant underscored the importance of responsible speech in a diverse society. He remarked that public figures must "exercise caution and restraint" in their statements to avoid communal discord.

 

Justice Kant also blamed Sharma for being “single-handedly responsible for what is happening in the country” — referring to the beheading of a tailor in Udaipur over his social media posts supporting her.

 

4. Swati Maliwal assault case

 

During the hearings concerning the alleged assault on Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) Rajya Sabha MP Swati Maliwal by Bibhav Kumar, a close aide of then Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal, Justice Surya Kant made several pointed remarks. He questioned the behavior exhibited at the CM's official residence, asking, "Is this the way, is this a private residence... it is the chief minister's residence... You want to say as if a goon (Kumar) entered the residence and you wanted to protect... you have assaulted a young woman."

 

Justice Kant further questioned Bibhav Kumar's sense of authority, questioning whether the latter did not “feel ashamed of doing it to a young woman.”

 

“What he thinks... the power has gone into his head?... We are shocked... She is in a particular physical condition at that time. She is crying that I am in such and such physical condition... We don’t want to read in the open court... she tells him that please stop because of this physical condition and this man continues.”