Judiciary Faces Trolling and Safety Risks

India’s top judges have warned about the risks of social media misreporting and trolling: CJI B.R. Gavai said he sometimes restrains colleagues’ oral observations to avoid online misinterpretation after an elderly lawyer tried to hurl a shoe at him over remarks about restoring a Vishnu idol at Khajuraho, and his bench referred lower-judicial-officer career-stagnation issues to a five-judge Constitution bench. In Madras High Court, Justice N. Senthilkumar said he and his family faced heavy online abuse after he constituted a Special Investigation Team to probe the Karur stampede that killed 41 people; he refused interim relief in actor-chef Madhampatty Rangaraj’s personality-rights suit against Joy Crizildaa, with notices returnable by Oct. 22. Social media posts have circulated a video seeking to link Justice Senthilkumar to the DMK and have been used to impugn his impartiality. In the United States, South Carolina Judge Diane Goodstein’s home was destroyed in an unexplained weekend fire weeks after she issued an order against the Trump administration, sharpening concerns about judicial security. Supreme Court justices have warned that escalating hostile rhetoric and attacks — from online trolling and reputational assaults to incidents that raise physical-safety fears — pose a threat to judicial independence and the rule of law.