Madras High Court bars protests targeting judges with personal attacks

The Madras High Court has directed Tamil Nadu authorities to deny permission for public gatherings, marches, or protests that aim to personally target, defame, or intimidate sitting judges. A division bench comprising Chief Justice Sushrut Arvind Dharmadhikari and Justice G. Arul Murugan stated that while citizens have an undeniable right to criticize legal conclusions, a clear line exists between disagreeing with a judgment and attacking the individual judge who delivered it.

The court observed that coordinated campaigns involving abusive, defamatory, or caste-based language do not fall under the protection of free speech provided by Article 19(2) of the Constitution. The ruling follows a petition alleging that protests against a June 2026 judgment, which declared a government order regarding backward class benefits unconstitutional, had devolved into personalized and hostile campaigns against members of the judiciary.

To preserve judicial independence, the court instructed the state police and district administrations to evaluate applications for public meetings regarding judicial matters on a case-by-case basis. The bench further directed authorities to immediately terminate any permitted assembly that turns into a personal attack on a judge and to monitor digital platforms to prevent the use of online networks to threaten the integrity of judicial institutions.