SC warns against silencing online pleas for help

Terming the second wave of COVID-19 as a “national crisis”, the Supreme Court on Friday warned authorities, from the Centre down to police chiefs, against silencing people and their pleas for help on the presumption that they are raising false grievances on the internet.

The top court made clear that any attempt to clampdown on free flow of information on social media including the call for help from people would be treated as the contempt of court.

“There should be free flow of information; we should hear voices of citizens. This is a national crisis. There should not be any presumption that the grievances raised on the internet are always false. Let a strong message be sent to all the DGPs that there should not be any kind of clampdown,” a bench headed by Justice DY Chandrachud said, referring to posting of messages on social media about issues like shortage of oxygen, beds or doctors. The bench, also comprising Justices L Nageswara Rao and S Ravindra Bhat, said, “If any action is taken against such posts by citizens in distress, we will treat it as contempt of the court.”

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, said that as an officer of the court he agreed with the views. The apex court’s observations assume significance following the recent decision of the Uttar Pradesh administration to prosecute people under the National Security Act for allegedly raising false alarms on social media.

The court also pulled up the Centre for not ensuring continuous supply of oxygen to Delhi and said,“You cannot sit tight and do nothing. My conscience is shaken. We cannot have 500 deaths on our hands. You have to do something urgently and supply deficit 200MT oxygen to Delhi”. Not all deaths in the hospitals here were due to oxygen shortage, Mehta stated, to which the bench said that the Centre has a Constitutional obligation towards Delhi, which is the face of the country.

The bench also pulled up the Delhi government and said, “there should not be any political bickering. Delhi government has to cooperate with the Centre to deal with the situation. Politics is for election but here at this time of humanitarian crisis; each and every life needs to be saved...”

We should hear voices of citizens. There should not be any presumption that the grievances raised on the internet are always false. Let a strong message be sent to all the DGPs that there should not be any kind of clampdown

SC bench