CHANDIGARH: The Punjab and Haryana high court on Friday awarded six months’ imprisonment to dismissed (Punjab) deputy superintendent of police Balwinder Singh Sekhon and his legal aide Pardeep Sharma under the Contempt of Court Act for uploading videos scandalous to the judges of the high court and their family members on social media.
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The HC has also imposed a fine of Rs 2,000 on both of them.
The order was announced in the open court, but the copy of the order was not available till the filing of this report.
Anil Mehta, senior standing counsel, UT Chandigarh, confirmed to TOI about the order.
A division bench comprising Justice G S Sandhawalia and Justice Harpreet Kaur Jeewan passed these orders while hearing the suo motu contempt petition against them.
Both Sekhon and Sharma have been sent to Burail Jail Chandigarh.
On February 20, they were arrested by Ludhiana Police on the directions of the HC.
While issuing directions for their arrest, the HC had also directed the social media platforms Facebook, YouTube and Twitter to remove the defamatory content from their platforms.
“A virtual panchayat is being held whereby abuses are being showered on this court in the proceedings conducted by the respondents including Balwinder Sekhon (dismissed DSP), his accomplice Pradeep Sharma (who claimed himself to be legal expert) and Baljit Marwaha (a reporter) in the form of a gatling gun and the fact that the Bench does not know the 'A, B, C' of law unmindful of the fact that this 'Temple of Justice' is adorned by constitutional authorities who are only doing and conducting work in accordance with the oath given to them under the Constitution without fear and favor to anyone. Apart from that, even the family members have not been spared by passing disparaging remarks against them also,” the HC had observed in its February 20 orders.
The HC had also made it clear that the freedom of speech and expression is protected under the Constitution, but it is not an unfettered right and as much as there are constitutional rights, there are duties also enshrined upon the citizens of the country.
The bench had taken suo motu cognizance on circulation of scandalous videos about the judiciary by these respondents.
