New Delhi: The Delhi High Court Friday permitted the central government to take “appropriate directions” for social media applications and such intermediaries under the IT Act to address the circulation of misleading posts showing that the CJI Surya Kant and 75 other judges along with Law Minister Arjun Ram Meghwal had participated in a badminton tournament held in London with public money.
Purported posters and pictures on this ‘International Bar and Bench Badminton Championship’ in London, and the prize money went viral earlier this month when CJI Kant was in the UK for a six-day official tour in early June 2026, focusing on dispute resolution and artificial intelligence. This visit became controversial also because videos of him being publicly asked about his “cockroach” statement went viral.
However, later in the month, the Ministry of Law and Justice officially clarified that the circulating photographs (of the tournament) were not authentic. The images were actually from the All India Judges’ Badminton Championship held at New Delhi’s Thyagaraj Stadium in November 2025.
The Badminton Association of India had moved the high court seeking the take-down of certain YouTube videos, news reports, and X posts spreading this misinformation.
Representing the association, senior advocate Apoorv Kurup argued that the source of this misinformation must be identified as it was not only disparaging the judiciary but also badminton as a sport. He insisted on strict regulations to control such dissemination of fake news as it can erode “public confidence” in the integrity of the institution itself and the administration of justice.
Supporting the view, Solicitor General Tushar Mehta told the court that the person who had spread the misinformation should be identified.
A vacation bench of Justice Tejas Karia said that the basic user-information can be submitted to the IT ministry but ultimately it is the government who has to take action against the circulation and the source of it. He indicated that he would pass an order for such “appropriate directions” by the central government.
Such directions would essentially mean either takedown of the posts or the accounts themselves.
Ultimately, the bench disposed of the matter by issuing the central government orders to take appropriate action. SG Mehta agreed and said, “We will do the needful.”
(Edited by Viny Mishra)
Also read: After judicial officer’s pension case sees 4 recusals in his parent HC, an angry CJI Kant steps in