Dharmasthala: Advocate writes to CJI over ‘deliberate misinformation’ by Kannada news channels

New Delhi

The Chief Justice of India, Justice B R Gavai, has been urged to take suo motu cognizance of what is alleged to be “deliberate misinformation” by several Kannada television channels regarding a recent Supreme Court order.

In a letter addressed to the CJI, advocate Deepak Khosla alleged that certain Kannada satellite channels misrepresented the apex court’s May 5, 2025 dismissal of W.P. (Crl.) No. 184/2025. The petition, he clarified, had been rejected solely on grounds of delay and absence of prior complaint or FIR, without the bench entering into the merits of the case.

Despite this, the channels allegedly broadcast that the Supreme Court had “decided the case on merits,” “ruled against the allegations,” and “closed the matter finally,” thereby misleading viewers into believing that all ongoing proceedings in Karnataka—including an FIR at Dharmasthala Police Station, the SIT probe, and a writ pending before the Karnataka High Court—stood foreclosed.

Calling this “a conscious and deliberate distortion” intended to mislead the public and prejudice judicial processes, Khosla warned that such reporting undermines public trust in the judiciary and interferes with pending cases.

He urged the CJI to consider initiating contempt proceedings against the broadcasters, frame guidelines for accurate reporting of judicial orders, and protect the dignity of the Supreme Court.