Reports of 75 judges going to London for badminton event false and misleading: Centre to Delhi High Court

The Central government on Friday told the Delhi High Court that the social media posts and reports of over 75 judges and Union ministers travelling to London to participate in a Badminton event are "completely false and misleading".

Solicitor General Tushar Mehta appeared for the government and argued that the photographs circulating on social media depicting Chief Justice of India (CJI) Surya Kant, Justice Vikram Nath and Union ministers Arjun Ram Meghwal and Kiren Rijiju playing badminton are from an event held in Delhi last year.

"They did not participate in any badminton tournament in London. CJI was in the UK. He met the Chief Justice of the UK and participated in some events. The ministers did not visit London during this period, and allegations that 75 judges were there are also false," the SG said.

SG Mehta made the submissions while the High Court was hearing a plea filed by the Badminton Association of India (BAI) seeking the removal of fake news and posts claiming that several dozen judges participated in a government-sponsored badminton tournament in London earlier this month.

The case was listed before Justice Tejas Karia after the Court allowed an urgent hearing of the matter based on a mentioning made today.

Viral social media posts recently claimed that around 75 Indian judges, along with the Union ministers and CJI Kant, travelled to London to participate in a badminton tournament at taxpayers’ expense.

The claims sparked criticism over judicial independence, public spending and the propriety of judges and government representatives attending a sporting event together while citizens were being urged to follow austerity measures.

However, the government’s fact-checking unit rejected several key allegations. According to PIB Fact Check, claims that Rijiju and Meghwal were in London participating in the event were false and the viral photographs being circulated were actually from a badminton tournament held at Thyagaraj Stadium in New Delhi in November 2025, not London.

Senior Advocate Apoorv Kurup appeared for BAI today and pointed to several posts and videos claiming that judges and ministers were at the event.

"The sport has been made into a pejorative activity. It's disparaging the judiciary which as a citizen is most concerning and it is disparaging the sport as well, turning it into a ridicule," Kurup said adding that these posts must be removed.

SG Mehta submitted that the government fact-check showed that the reports were false, and yet they were spreading online. He said that the incident needs to be investigated and that the originator of the content must be found.

After hearing the submissions, Justice Karia said that he would pass appropriate orders.