Up to Union government to frame regulations, says Supreme Court (2025)

Justice B R Gavai has his say on recent disparaging remarks by BJP MP Dubey against the judiciary

“As it is, we are alleged of encroaching upon the parliamentary and executive functions,” Supreme Court’s Justice B R Gavai said on Monday in an apparent reference to recent attacks on the judiciary while hearing a matter over the West Bengal violence. The SC was hearing one matter over the recent violence in West Bengal during anti-Waqf law protests, while the other plea sought a direction to the Centre to take appropriate steps to prohibit streaming of sexually explicit and pornographic content on OTT and social media platforms.

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While hearing the plea over online content, Justice Gavai told advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain, who was appearing in the matter: “Who can control it? It is for the Union to frame a regulation in that regard. As it is, we are now criticised that we are interfering with the executive’s function, the legislative functions.” The top court’s remarks came after Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar and BJP MP Nishikant Dubey recently made disparaging remarks against the judiciary.

While Dhankhar questioned the judiciary setting a timeline for the president to make decisions and acting as a “super Parliament”, saying the Supreme Court cannot fire a “nuclear missile” at democratic forces, Dubey said Parliament and assemblies should be shut if the apex court had to make laws. He also blamed Chief Justice of India Sanjiv Khanna for “religious wars” in India.

Plea seeks Prez’s rule

A plea has been filed in the SC seeking to impose President’s rule in West Bengal in the wake of the recent violence. Advocate Vishnu Shankar Jain for the petitioner stated that there was an urgent need for the deployment of paramilitary forces in the region, and immediate action was needed. Fresh incidents of anti-Waqf violence rocked Bhangar area in South 24 Parganas district on April 14. At least three people were killed in the communal violence in parts of Murshidabad district on April 11 and 12 during protests.

Murshidabad violence: 12 detained in Odisha

Around 12 people were detained from Odisha’s Jharsuguda district on Monday in connection with the violence Murshidabad. They were nabbed by a Special Task Force (STF) of the West Bengal police, a senior Odisha police officer said. Among those apprehended were two sons of Ziaul Sheikh, one of the prime suspects in the murder of a man and his son in Murshidabad’s Jafrabad, he said.

Sheikh has already been arrested by the West Bengal police. These people who used to work as labourers had gone home to Murshidabad during Eid and allegedly took part in the violence. Following the violence, they returned to Jharsuguda and were in hiding. “The people detained by the STF are being questioned, and their mobile phones are being verified to ascertain their presence in Murshidabad on the day of the violence,” the officer said.

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