PIL seeks probe into Saurav Das' identity, blocking of social media accounts over remarks against judiciary; Madras HC issues notice

The Madras High Court on Friday sought responses to a petition seeking an investigation into the nationality and background of Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-Saurav Das. The plea also seeks a block on his social media accounts over remarks allegedly made against the judiciary.

The plea also seeks a block on Cockroach Janata Party (CJP) co-convenor Saurav Das's social media accounts. (Sanjeev Verma/HT Photo)A division bench of Chief Justice SA Dharmadhikari and Justice G Arul Murugan issued notice to Das, the Central government and other respondents, reports in the Bar and Bench and Live Law said.

The petition, filed by Ganesh Kumar, identifies Das as “Yogesh Sharma alias Saurav Das” and alleges he made derogatory statements against the judiciary, including Supreme Court judges. It seeks an investigation into his background and personal details, including those of his parents.

The petitioner has also sought directions to cancel Das's passport and Aadhaar card if he is found to be a foreign national, the Bar and Bench reported adding that the matter will be taken up again after six weeks. The plea further seeks directions to the Union ministry of home affairs and other authorities to investigate his identity and background.

During the hearing, the petitioner's counsel referred to documents attached to the plea that allegedly relate to Das's identity and addresses. The bench examined the documents and sought clarification on certain details mentioned in them.

The counsel also referred to the statements allegedly made by Das against the judiciary. The bench questioned the manner in which the remarks had been made and asked whether the petitioner had approached the authorities with a complaint.

The petition also seeks directions to the secretary of the ministry of electronics and information technology to block X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts operating under the name Saurav Das. It further asks the court to restrain Das from making any further allegedly derogatory statements against the judiciary and Supreme Court judges, the Live Law report said.

Reacting to the petition, Ashutosh Ranka took to X to say, “What's happening here is a moment of collective shame.” “Hounding someone just because you can't stand their work - to what extent are we going to tolerate all of this?” Follow the latest breaking news, major developments and agenda-setting stories from India and around the world with the newsdesk at Hindustan Times.

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