Who is YouTuber Gulshan Pahuja and what is being done against him? He is accused of ‘scandalizing’ the court | Explained | Today’s news
Much to the relief of YouTuber Gulshan Pahuj, the Supreme Court on Thursday suspended the six-month sentence imposed on him in May this year. Pahuja was found guilty of contempt of court for the videos that “personally attacked” some judicial officers and “diminished” the judicial system.
According to a Bar and Bench report dated 20 May 2026, the Delhi High Court sentenced Gulshan Pahuj to six months imprisonment and ₹2,000 as a fine for committing the offense of contempt of court by making scandalous comments about the judiciary in his videos and arguments.
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Justices Dipankar Datta and Sheel Nagu agreed to hear the appeal filed by Gulshan Pahuja challenging the orders of the Delhi High Court. “We order suspension of the sentence until the next day of hearing of the appeal; as a result, the appellant (Pahuja) will be released on interim bail,” the court said, according to news agency PTI.
The court reportedly added: “We hope and trust that the applicant will refrain from repeating the conduct for which he was held in contempt by the High Court. Any repetition, if brought to our notice, could lead to the revocation of this temporary protection order.”
The Supreme Court issued a notice of appeal and a motion for bail. She submitted the matter for consideration in the week of October 5.
Who is YouTuber Gulshan Pahuja?
Advocate and activist Gulshan Pahuja runs a YouTube channel called Fight 4 Judicial Reforms. The channel has 6.77 thousand subscribers. Pahuja has posted as many as 507 videos on the platform so far.
The description on the YouTube channel reads: “Are you satisfied with the judicial system in this country? If not, please support us. Subscribe and like this channel to help us spread this campaign for transparency and accountability in the judicial system. And if possible, make and post a similar video of a court in your area.”
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What is it against Gulshan Pahuja?
The case dates back to 2025 when the High Court took cognizance of a reference by Shahdara High Court Civil Judge Charu Asiwal regarding the disputed videos and banners on Pahuja’s YouTube channel, the Indian Express reported.
Pajuja’s videos allegedly showed the lawyers making “some inappropriate and derogatory remarks against judicial officers and the judicial institution as a whole”.
In May, the Delhi High Court recorded that Pahuja had made remarks against the judicial system, saying “adaalaton ki manmarzi badhti jaa rahi hai” and adding that “manmarzi ka dusra arth taanashahi hota hai (The arbitrariness of the courts is growing; another meaning of arbitrariness is dictatorship),” reported ANI.
The Delhi High Court observed that Pahuja had shown “no remorse” and had made other “outrageous” remarks against the judicial system even during the sentencing hearing.
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The Supreme Court noted that the YouTuber had made a statement that he did not expect any justice from Indian courts and likened the judicial arbitrariness to a “dictatorship”.
It was found that the contemnor neither expressed remorse nor indicated a willingness to reform his conduct.
The High Court said that instead of showing remorse, he compounded his contempt by making another scandalous statement during the hearing itself.
He further believed that leniency under such circumstances might encourage him to repeat similar acts in the future.
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“By his actions, he has scandalized… and lowered the authority of the court. The respondent does not regret it. He also does not propose any course correction. In fact, he claims that what he did was with the intention of improving the judicial system… By not giving him adequate punishment, we may encourage him to repeat these acts in the future and encourage him to do the same in the Indian court,” the Indian court said.
While describing his behavior as bona fide, Pahuja reportedly told the court that he “should not be forced to stop criticizing the judge by invoking contempt jurisdiction against him”.
As Pahuja expressed his intention to approach the Supreme Court, the high court stayed the sentence for 60 days to allow him to approach the apex court.
Advocates Manish Jain, Vikash Kumar Verma and Aditya Kaushik recently appeared for the YouTuber before the Supreme Court.
