New Delhi/Pune: The Supreme Court has dismissed criminal charges against a motorist who recorded a traffic officer allegedly demanding an additional ₹1,000, a video that later went viral on social media.
The court ruled that prosecuting the individual would be a misuse of legal processes and emphasized that accountability for online defamatory comments lies solely with the authors of such remarks.
The incident occurred on November 27, 2022, on Pune’s Jangli Maharaj Road when Vijay Sagar parked his two-wheeler on the footpath. The traffic police towed his vehicle to the Shivajinagar traffic division.
When Sagar arrived to pay the fine, he was allegedly asked to pay ₹1,000 in addition to the official penalty, supposedly on behalf of the municipal corporation.
Sagar refused to comply and streamed the encounter live on Facebook. The video gained widespread attention, leading to derogatory comments from some individuals online.
Sagar subsequently removed the video. However, on November 29, 2022, the Shivajinagar police filed charges against him, alleging that his actions and statements could potentially harm the modesty of a woman officer.
Supreme Court Judgment
A bench comprising Justices Sudhanshu Dhulia and Ahsanuddin Amanullah ruled in favor of Sagar, highlighting the right to freedom of expression.
The court stated that individuals who manage online platforms or post lawful content cannot be held liable for abusive or defamatory remarks made by others. It further noted that the High Court should have exercised its powers to quash the proceedings against Sagar, calling the police action retaliatory.
The court clarified that legal responsibility for inappropriate remarks lies solely with the individuals who make them, not with the administrators or creators of the original post.
