Cases over food, recitals, social media comments ridiculous, says Justice Bhuyan

Cases over food, recitals, social media comments ridiculous, notes Justice Bhuyan Calls for special drive by trial courts to clear such 'frivolous litigation', proposes one-time amnesty for non-serious criminal cases.

What happened

4 min read New Delhi Sep 19, 2026 05: 33 AM IST. Justice Ujjal Bhuyan of the Supreme Court (File photo).

CRITICISING WHAT he described as the growing number of criminal cases that should never enter the justice system, Supreme Court judge Justice Ujjal Bhuyan on Friday pointed to cases registered against individuals for consuming a particular kind of food, reciting poems, raising slogans seeking bail for others, participating in demonstrations, commenting on social media, performing stand-up comedy, and even over the content or titles of films and books.

"The accusations are ridiculous and often border on an affront to one's intelligence. Nonetheless, registration of such criminal cases continues unabated. Not only that, in some cases chargesheets are additionally filed, leading to trial knowing fully well what would be the outcome, " he stated.

The bottom line

In short, cases over food, recitals, social media comments ridiculous, says Justice Bhuyan is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.