The office of the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, on Saturday strongly refuted the casteists’ statements that were circulating on social media, calling them “shameful, insolent and malicious”. He urged citizens to check sources before believing such allegations and warned that those responsible could face legal action.
The clarification came after a controversial post on X falsely attributed the remarks to the chief justice via the @UnreservedMERIT account.
In an official press release, the CJI’s office said that Justice Surya Kant condemned the fabricated statement and stressed that he never made the remarks that were circulated online.
The chief justice’s office called the incident a serious ethical breach and said a social media account falsely attributed the statement to him.
The official press release added that the spread of such misinformation is a direct attack on the integrity of the judiciary.
“The office of the Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India condemns in the strongest possible terms this vile, brazen and malicious fabrication. To create a fictitious quote and attribute it to the highest judicial office of the country is an act of high dishonesty, deliberate social incitement and contempt for constitutional values,” it said.
The CJI’s office described the actions of some social media users as reckless and said such behavior undermines the very foundation of public confidence in the judiciary and the rule of law. The authority also appealed to citizens, media organizations and social media platforms not to disseminate and promote fabricated and misleading content.
“The Office of the Hon’ble the Chief Justice of India appeals to all responsible citizens, media organizations and social media platforms to refrain from spreading fake and fabricated content,” he said.
The Chief Justice said he was ready to use the full force of the law to ensure that perpetrators were held accountable for spreading falsehoods, according to the Bar and Bench.
“I am ready to apply the full power of the law to the perpetrators and ensure that they face the consequences of their lies,” said the Chief Justice.
What did the fictional @UnreservedMERIT account post say?
“If a community chooses to consider itself oppressed even after producing IAS officers, IPS officers, Chief Justices of India, Presidents and Prime Ministers, then the fault lies not in the Brahmins but in its own thinking,” the post (translated from Hindi to English) said. It also reportedly had a photograph of the Chief Justice along with the caption “Chief Justice of India”.
It has reportedly garnered more than 16,900 views.
